Exile
by Quill of Molliemon
Summary: AU. Intertrilogy. Sequel to Misunderstood! The Republic is dead. The Empire has risen. The Jedi Order is in shambles. So now what? Chapter 33: Lonely Little Boys
1. P: Birth

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Star Wars, George Lucas does. He created everything; I just play with it for a while and then give it back. No money is being made here, so no suing!

**Author's Note:** Here we go, the sequel to Misunderstood! While I don't demand you read the first one, it will help _tremendously_ in understanding this one. Exile picks up just a few months after Misunderstood ends, just so you all know. Now sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!

* * *

**Prologue  
**_Birth_

Padmé's eyelids wearily slid shut as she sank back against her pillow, utterly exhausted. She felt disgusting, soaked in sweat, and incredibly sore. But she was satisfied.

Intellectually, she knew giving birth would be a very tiring and painful experience. However that knowledge was no preparation for the reality of it. She really wished she'd had the opportunity to witness someone else in labor first, so she would know to go on birth control regardless of her lack of a love life so that she would never, ever end up pregnant.

But what was done was done, and thank the Gods it was all over now. Giving birth was painful, but waddling around nine months pregnant with twins wasn't any fun either. Now she would be able to see her feet when she was standing up!

Oh yes, and then there was the fact that she'd been carrying _twins_. Not a single baby, but _two _babies. That kind of surprise was one she could've done without.

_It's my own fault though,_ she reluctantly admitted. _I did tell the medical droid on Coruscant I wanted to be surprised. I just wasn't specific enough on **what** I wanted to be surprised about. Carrying twins isn't necessarily considered a complication after all…_

Tiredly prying her eyes open again, she cast her gaze to the two plastic tubs on wheels that served as little bassinets. Inside each one lay a baby. One was a girl and one was a boy.

Luke was the first born. Her son, the little boy she'd hoped to have, the only one she'd expected to have. He was still too small and young for her to see much of his features, but she had a feeling that he would be a spitting image of his father.

Leia was the second born, younger by about seven minutes. Her daughter, the little girl that she'd wished for, the big surprise she'd suffered in the delivery room. She had slightly darker hair (well, it was more like fuzz actually) than her brother, telling Padmé that Leia would likely take after her.

Both were quiet now, fast asleep and resting their tiny lungs for later. When they'd come out, thought, they'd screamed bloody murder, incensed at being removed from their old home without their consent. Their stereo crying foreshadowed the days and nights that were to come…

Yawning, she shifted her gaze to the rest of the room. It was a sterile white and completely undecorated, just like billions of other hospital rooms all across the galaxy. But the problem was, this room looked just like the rest of the asteroid station that contained this hospital room.

This was Polis Massa, an isolated station tucked away in the Outer Rim. Master Yoda had left the coordinates of this place, far from any well traveled routes, specifically for her. And she was grateful for the diminutive Master's thoughtfulness and foresight.

The station was built on and within an enormous chunk of rock, a piece of debris from a dead and fragmented planet. The beings that lived here, the Polis Massans, were not native to the system, but had come here to explore. Fascinated with the dead world, they set up shop and have been here ever since.

The Polis Massans were a strange species. To Padmé's eyes, they seemed faceless, just round heads with black pin dots for eyes. And to her ears, they were perfectly silent. But their language was so soft and so high-pitched that it simply was beyond her natural range of hearing. So to communicate with them, she had to use one of their droids as a go-between.

Polis Massans were thankfully a peaceful species. They were scientists; they loved to study other species and their cultures. While their primary interest was the dead world where they made their home, they also gladly studied any beings who stumbled across them and over the years they had amassed an impressive store of information.

After Bail had helped her 'die,' she and Sabé and Typho (who despite her protests and pleadings insisted on coming with her) had come here, not sure what to respect. The Polis Massans welcomed them with open arms. They had no idea who Padmé was or what any of her accomplishments were. They were just excited at the chance to study and assist in a Human birth.

For the last few months of her pregnancy, Padmé, Typho, and Sabé found themselves followed around by a few curious Polis Massans pretty much all the time. Padmé also underwent a good deal of medical tests, more than she really needed, to satisfy her hosts insatiable curiosity. Even Artoo found himself under the microscope as the Massans examined him and his interactions with his Human masters.

Padmé wasn't all that bothered by the strange attention, but the dull blandness of her surroundings was a little harder to deal with. Outside of the tunnels and sealed domes there was no atmosphere, just the blackness of space and the cold glittering stars. The view was disconcerting to say the least and she was eager to get away from it.

She and her much reduced staff hadn't been sitting idle here while they awaited the birth of her babies. They'd been researching and planning their next move. And they'd also been forging documents, creating backgrounds, so that wherever they went they would have a solid fresh start. Her babies had been born here, but they wouldn't grow up here.

Because of her condition, she couldn't travel, but Sabé and Typho _could _travel, and did so that they could investigate possible destination in person. After drawing up a long list of systems outside of the new Galactic Empire, her two friends had gone to check each one out for themselves. Every time one left, the other would return to make sure that Padmé had more than Artoo for company. And after much searching, they'd all agreed on one place.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Sabé whispered, tip-toeing into the room.

"Like a herd of angry Shaaks ran over me," Padmé croaked. "But remarkably good for a woman who's supposed to be dead."

"Glad to hear it," Sabé smiled.

"Yes, I'm sure you are," Padmé sighed. "And I'm sure that you are glad _you're_ not the one in this position."

"Well, in regards to labor and delivery, yes." Sabé admitted. "But I wouldn't mind having a baby of my own."

"Don't worry; you'll be seeing enough of my two to satisfy any motherly desires of yours." Padmé laughed softly.

"Hmm, I can't wait!" Sabé grinned, her expression almost dreamy.

"Yes, you can't wait for those months of sleepless nights, midnight feedings, and endless diaper changes." Padmé snorted.

"Aw, you're spoiling my fun." Sabé pouted. "Let me ignore reality for a few more days, please."

"Suit yourself." Padmé sighed tiredly. "I'm going to get all the sleep I can, store it up for later."

Sabé didn't reply, she was too busy peering into the bassinets to study the newborn babies.

Padmé rolled her eyes and did her best to find a comfortable position so that she could catch some sleep. She was glad that Sabé was so happy about this. And she was glad too to be a mother. But she wasn't entirely happy.

Her family was back on Naboo, oblivious to their new grandchildren, their new niece and nephew, their new cousins. They believed Padmé to be dead and had no idea that she'd been pregnant in the first place. And for everyone's safety, Padmé could have no contact with them, couldn't let them know that she was really alive and had had babies. Ignorance was the best, and only, shield she could give them, and she refused to compromise it.

This also meant that she could not lean on her family for support. She couldn't call home to her mother, begging for advice on how to take care of her son and daughter. Nor could she call Sola for help. Padmé was on her own, able to pool only her own and Sabé's knowledge of babies and small children together. It would be hard, but there was no other way.

And there was something else that dampened her joy. Stiffly reaching over to the little shelf by her bed, she picked up the Japor pendant that she'd removed when she went into active labor. Her fingers traced the simple lines carved into the smooth light wood and she swallowed hard.

_Oh Anakin… Will you ever find your way back to me so that you can see your children? Will you ever come back so that I can slap you silly for giving me **two of them at once**?_


	2. 1: The Wanderer

**Chapter 1  
**_The Wanderer_

Draggin Vlostin had traveled the galaxy for nearly one hundred years at the helm of his own ship. He'd visited a couple thousand different planets, met more people than he could hope to remember, and seen a lot of strange things. But the scaly Besalisk had never encountered anyone quite like Ankahr Skyy.

The young Human, impossibly young by Besalisk standards, had skill with machines that was at odds with his age. For weeks his well-loved ship, _Cassie's Promise_, had not been her usual self. Draggin wasn't much of a mechanic and the problems had been beyond his limited knowledge. And unfortunately his old mechanic had retired to a permanent planet-side job to be with a female he fell in love with.

Worried that he might lose a critical system, like the hyperdrive, at an inopportune time, he poked around the port he'd been in at the time for a temporary mechanic. After much searching, he found an odd little Human, Ankahr Skyy. The boy was young, but Draggin had a good feeling about him and decided to take a risk and hire him.

His risk paid off big time. Ankahr had fixed everything. _Cassie's Promise_ was purring like a Khrys-Kitten, better than new! He had a feeling the boy had done some extra work, little modifications here and there. He couldn't remember his ship ever running so smooth.

In fact, Draggin was so impressed with the kid, he was trying to hire him permanently…

"C'mon kid, this is the best pay I've ever offered any of my crew to start off." Draggin frowned, crossing both sets of arms across his barrel of a chest. "Are you saying it's not enough?"

"No, that's not it at all Captain Vlostin." Ankahr assured him calmly. "All I wanted when I signed on was a ride to someplace new, and I've gotten that. Now it's time for me to move on, find a new ride, meet new people."

"So, don't wanna tie yerself down to one ship, one crew, 's that it?" Draggin asked.

"Yeah, you could look at it that way," Ankahr smiled slightly, though his smile didn't quite make it into his blue eyes.

"You sure you wanna do that?" Draggin grumbled. "I gotta say, I like ya kid. You're good, you're _damn good_, 'specially for a youngin like you. I don't ask just anybody to be the mechanic fer my girl _Cassie_."

"I understand," Ankahr nodded, "and I'm flattered, but still I fell that I must decline."

"Well alright," Draggin sighed. "I'll miss ya kid, an' thanks fer all you've done for us. May the stars light your way, wherever that may be."

"Thank you," Ankahr gave a slight bow. "And may the stars light your way as well."

Draggin grinned widely and offered one of his four hands for a shake. Ankahr politely shook it and turned to leave. The massive Besalisk felt his grin fade as the painfully young man disappeared from his sight.

_Poor kid, I know Humans grow up fast, but he's too young to be on his own._ Draggin sighed and ambled back towards the small bridge of his freighter. _And I wonder…what happened to his face? Did someone try to cut his head open with a vibro-blade?_

* * *

Shifting his pack on his shoulder, he trotted down the boarding ramp of the _Cassie's Promise_ and set foot on the duracrete of the landing pad. From there he slipped into the spaceport building and the milling crowed within it. And with very little effort, he disappeared.

As he disappeared, he shed the name 'Ankahr Skyy' like a reptile sheds its scales. Now he would be someone new. Who that would be, was yet to be determined. So for now, he was no one at all.

Darstatt was a muggy planet, just inside the bounds of the Mid Rim. It was officially a world of the Empire, but it was so far from the Core and so far from any of the old Clone Wars battlefronts that any real Imperial presence here was negligible. As far as he knew when he'd looked into the _Cassie's_ destination was that a few of the spaceports had small garrisons of troops, and so long as he was careful, he'd never see any of them, and they wouldn't see him.

The Darstatt System had originally been settled by Rodians, making the main languages spoken here Rodese and Huttese. After the Rodians came a decent-sized population of Twi'leks and a few enclaves of Squibs. And, of course, there were Humans here too.

This System was a hub of trade, more than anything else. Few people outside of shipping companies knew of the place since the world was rather plain, lacking anything unique or attractive enough to catch the eye of any tourists. The constant muggy weather was a turn-off for most wealthy visitors anyway. And Darstatt lacked any significant resources of its own. Only its convenient placement along major hyperspace routes accounted for its many spaceports and high System traffic.

He slipped out of the spaceport building and into the sprawling city beyond. Every vice that a spacer could want was catered to here. Some sections were clean, some were dirty. It reminded a lot of the vast underbelly of Coruscant.

After a half hour of aimless wandering, he found a bar that looked good. He sauntered in, sat down on an open stool, dumped his bag at his feet, and studied the available selection. Choosing a glass of purple Vosh ale, he settled back and waited to see what would happen…

Within five minutes, a ruby red (Lethan) female Twi'lek of generous assets appeared beside him. She smiled at him as she leaned provocatively against the bar, her black leather outfit leaving little to the imagination. Her _lekku_ writhed slightly, doing their best to attract his eyes towards her impressive bust.

"_(Hello good sir,)"_ she purred in Huttese. "_(Can I be of some assistance?)"_

"_(I doubt it,)"_ he replied, sipping at his ale.

"_(Oh come now, a handsome, young, **lonely** man like yourself needs companionship.)"_ The Twi'lek smiled.

"_(Not interested.)"_ He declared flatly.

"_(Hmm, or perhaps you are the type who wishes for chemical stimulation?)"_ She mused thoughtfully. "_(I know who can get you whatever it is that you desire, from GlitterStim Spice to the finest Ryll credits can buy.)"_

"_(No thank you, I'm fine with what I have.)"_ He insisted.

"_(Well, if you change your mind…)" _She produced a small business card from…somewhere…and slid it in front of him. "_(You know where to find me.)"_

The Lethan woman then sauntered away, doing a great deal of hip-swaying and _lekku_-swishing. He didn't notice though. He was too busy studying the shades of purple in his drink. And then he flicked the business card behind the bar when the Rodian bartender had his back turned.

_A whore **and** a drug dealer,_ he snorted, _busy girl…_

* * *

After finding a cheap hotel and renting a room, he settled down on the bed for the night. It wasn't really late yet, and he wasn't tired, but he had no more desire to wander around the city until he was. Tossing his bag on the floor, the room instantly became as close to home as any place he'd spent the past few months in.

Four months. That's how long it had been since the Temple fell and the galaxy changed…for the worse. And just under four months since he'd learned the most terrible news imaginable.

He peeled the leather glove off his right hand, exposing the gray durasteel underneath. Idly tracing the joints and edges of the mechanical prosthesis, he stared blankly up at the cracked, stained ceiling. Through the thin walls, he could hear people having sex in the next room. It was probably some lonely spacer on a break blowing his paycheck on a prostitute.

Closing his eyes, he worked his way into a trance. He retreated into a place within himself were the muffled groans and screams from one room over couldn't reach him. But there was a downside to this inner sanctuary. Here, he couldn't stop remembering.

…_Padmé apologizing to him and giving him a kiss on the cheek as a good-bye in the Palace Hanger on Naboo…_

…_Obi-Wan laughing about his weather joke while they were dripping wet, scraping mud off their boots…_

…_Padmé's delighted smile as she accepted his old gift of the carved Japor pendant…_

…_Obi-Wan's tired smile as he lay beaten and exhausted, but alive, under a tree on some random world called Riflor…_

…_Sabé's amusing confusion as she was confronted with an alive-and-well Obi-Wan Kenobi while she was dressed in little more than a nightgown and bathrobe…_

…_A foggy memory of Padmé dancing with him at some party that he couldn't identify…_

…_Obi-Wan's calm explanation of the utterly bizarre reason behind his new haircut…_

…_Padmé smiling and sitting at her kitchen table in her nightgown and robe, her pregnant belly clearly visible…_

…_The feel and smell of his beloved Angel as he held her in his arms…_

Pulling himself out of the meditative trance, his eyes snapped open to stare blurrily at the crumbling ceiling. He simply couldn't bear it anymore. Remembering all of that just hurt so much. He still had Obi-Wan, but…

She was gone. Padmé, his Angel, was no more. Sabé had gone with her, and Typho too, deep into the anonymous currents of the Force, far beyond his reach. And his child, whatever it would've been, was gone too, before it had even come into the world.

He was alone now. He would be alone for the rest of his days. Even if he ever found his way back to Obi-Wan's side, he would still be alone.

Rolling over, Anakin pulled his limp pillow over his head and sighed. In the morning he'd look for a new ship. A new ride off this wretched muggy planet. A vessel that would take him someplace new. There was nothing for him here. Nothing at all.

_In the morning I'll be gone…_


	3. 2:The Runner

**Chapter 2**  
_The Runner_

_This isn't at all like following Master Unill used to be._ He swallowed hard and tried to follow a bit faster, his right leg kept him slow though. Every step sent a jolt of agony burning through the limb, making him pant in pain.

"Hurry along now child." Darred Antilles commanded quietly.

"Yes, sir." Zett wheezed, doing his best to comply.

Mister Antilles had told him to hurry up several times now. He did his best to obey, but he was still recovering. If he pressed himself too hard, he could undo all the healing he'd been doing over the past few months. It certainly didn't help that a week after reaching Alderaan he contracted a serious infection and almost died.

Four months ago, his existence had radically changed, and for the worse. He'd been minding his own business, getting ready for bed, when everything went wrong. Clone troops had come and killed everyone. They almost killed him too, but he'd been saved.

There were a lot of days that he wished that he'd just died…

"Almost there," Mr. Antilles mumbled to himself.

Zett glanced up from the ground to see the docking bay numbers. Mr. Antilles had gotten them tickets on another transport going a few planets further out from the Core. It was the best he could do since neither of them had any idea where exactly they had to go.

The goal was to find an adult Jedi. He or she could take Zett wherever they had to go from there. And then Mr. Antilles could go back home to Alderaan. The problem was that they had no idea where any other Jedi might be.

Docking bay ninety-four finally came into view and Mr. Antilles hustled him towards it. A broken-down passenger shuttle crouched in the dusty, bowl-shaped bay. After handing over their boarding passes to a droid at the entrance and having them marked, they got on board and found their seats.

Mr. Antilles tried to look calm, but even if he wasn't a Jedi-in-training Zett could tell that he wasn't. The Alderaanian had never been involved in something so dangerous before. But his cousin, Captain Antilles of the _Tantive IV_, had somehow managed to convince him to help out.

So, for nearly a month now, Mr. Antilles had been dragging him from planet to planet, always away from the Core, in search of a Jedi. Zett wished he could've stayed on Alderaan longer, at least until his leg wound had completely healed. But he couldn't because the Emperor had scheduled a tour of the Core, and Alderaan had been one of the first on the list.

It was far too risky for him to stay any longer, so they released him ahead of schedule. Now it was a race to escape. And Zett was less and less sure that he was going to make it. He wasn't sure he _wanted_ to make it.

Survivor's Guilt, the Healers at the Temple had called it. The feeling that he should've died, that he didn't deserve to make when someone else close to him hadn't. He'd first come to know that feeling after Master Unill had died on Jabiim. And it had never really gone away, just faded into the background for a while.

Now it was back and worse than ever. All his friends were gone. All of his teachers too. And the Healers who'd told him about Survivor's Guilt in the first place. Everyone was gone…

So why linger here with the living? Why live on alone? Why not die? At least then, he'd be with everyone in the peaceful currents of the Force.

But Mr. Antilles and all the other Alderaanians had worked so hard to help him. It wouldn't be very grateful of him to just lay down and die after all they'd done for him. So he kept trying to keep going and please them.

"Why the long face?" Mr. Antilles asked worriedly.

"'Long face'?" Zett frowned in confusion.

"It's an old expression. It means you look sad." Mr. Antilles explained. "So why are you sad?"

"I…I'm just a little lonely." Zett shrugged evasively.

"Don't worry," Mr. Antilles smiled encouragingly, patting Zett's knee. "We'll find some of your friends soon."

Zett nodded distractedly and Mr. Antilles didn't seem to feel like talking anymore. And Zett was glad. He really didn't feel like trying to spark any conversation right now.

The transport shuddered around them and the faint growl of the engines firing was just audible. The floor tilted as the ship lurched upwards, rising out of the docking bay and through the atmosphere. When the faint trembling buzz stopped, Zett knew they were in space.

"Almost there," Mr. Antilles murmured, tapping nervously on the armrest of his seat.

Zett just turned and stared out the nearest window at the starry void. For a few minutes the cold distant stars glittered against the blackness of space. And then the dots stretched out and blended together to form the odd landscape of hyperspace.

_

* * *

_

The next planet they visited was just like the last. He did his best to try and find other Jedi in the area so that Mr. Antilles would be absolved of the obligation of being his guardian. But he couldn't feel anything, there were no Jedi here.

Mr. Antilles was distressed by the news. But he did his best to perk up and act like nothing was wrong. Zett wasn't fooled in the least, though he didn't say anything.

Now they were trying to find someone to buy passage from to get to somewhere else. In any Republic port in the Core, this would be no problem. But here, near the border with the Outer Rim, it was something of a scavenger hunt.

Zett trailed after the Alderaanian as they traversed the dusty streets of whatever planet they were on. He thought that Mr. Antilles had said that this was Skaviss II, but maybe he'd misheard. It didn't really matter anyway.

He pulled uncomfortably at the clothing the palace staff had given him. It was supposed to be a traveling outfit, but Zett thought it was just a simple suit. He missed his old Jedi clothes. But he couldn't wear them anymore, it was treason to be a Jedi, and anyway they were full of blaster holes.

_I still have my braid,_ he half-heartedly consoled himself, _and my lightsaber's in my bag. But that's it. Everything else I've ever had that makes me a Jedi is gone now…_

"Well, well, what do we have here?" An oily-sounding voice asked.

Mr. Antilles came to a stop so abruptly that Zett nearly crashed into him. Several scummy-looking individuals, a bunch of Rodians and a pair of male Twi'leks, slunk out of the shadows all around them. All of them had vibro-blades and one of the Twi'leks, the leader, had a banged up blaster pistol.

"Some lost Core world tourists?" The Twi'lek with the blaster chuckled coldly. "Why don't we escort you to our place?" He pointedly fiddled with his blaster. "_(Get ready boys.)"_ He hissed to his companions in Huttese.

Or at least that's what Zett thought he said. He was still real shaky with his Huttese, though it was easier to understand it when it was spoken to him than when he tried to reply in it. Usually anyway. The Twi'lek's accent was strange so he wasn't entirely sure. But he could sense their malicious intent clearly enough.

Mr. Antilles seemed frozen. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no words, no sound at all, came out. Clearly the Alderaanian had never been in this sort of situation before. Zett didn't imagine there were many muggings on Alderaan.

"Come good sir, let us help you," the other Twi'lek smiled wickedly as he casually twirled his knife.

Zett took a calming breath and focused. _I can do this…_ "You don't want to 'help' us." He told them with a subtle wave of his hand. "We're not worth the trouble."

For half it minute, it almost looked like it had worked. The Twi'leks' eyes got all glassy and the Rodians looked confused. But they shook themselves free of his hold easily.

"_(What were we doing again?)"_ The Twi'lek with the blaster asked.

"_(I think…we were robbing them.)"_ One of the Rodians replied.

"_(Oh, that's right…)" _The Twi'lek nodded. "Come now, quit stalling."

_No, there were too many of them…_ His mind-trick had been diluted among all six of them. Despite their relative weak-mindedness, their strength in numbers had saved them. _Oh no…_

"I-I'm sorry but-but we have somewhere we have to be…" Mr. Antilles stuttered, desperately seeking escape.

"Don't worry sir, we won't keep you long." The Twi'lek with the knife promised slyly. "And if you cooperate, we'll let you keep your life…and the boy."

Mr. Antilles mutely shook his head.

"Fine, the hard way then!" The Twi'lek with the blaster snarled.

That apparently was a signal to begin. The entire gang descended on them as one. Zett was prepared for this. Mr. Antilles wasn't.

Zett managed to pull Mr. Antilles free of the circle of thugs and weapons and dragged him down the street. The gang of thieves chased them for a few blocks, but Zett kept dragging Mr. Antilles along at top speed. And as he ran, he kept throwing uncontrolled Force-pushes behind him.

They were weak and diffuse. He wasn't really aiming or focusing on anyone in particular. But they managed to trip up enough of the thugs so that they fell and stopped chasing them.

Only when felt it was safe to stop did Zett slow down. He towed Mr. Antilles in an empty alley to let him rest. The older man must've really been out of shape, he just collapsed into a heap on the ground. Zett left him be to catch his breath, he just guarded the mouth of the alley to keep an eye out for the alien gang.

"Zett, come here." Mr. Antilles panted faintly.

While he should be on watch for any approaching enemies, he obeyed the request as though it were a command. Mr. Antilles looked terrible, he noticed. He was unnaturally pale and sweaty. Zett inhaled sharply when he spied a patch of dark blood staining his side.

"Here, take this." The Alderaanian pressed his wallet into Zett's hands.

Zett swallowed hard. "But Mr. Antilles–"

"I can't help you anymore." Mr. Antilles wheezed, his eyes fluttering shut. "I-I…can't…"

And then the man fell still. Zett just stared. He didn't want to believe what he was seeing, but the Force told him it was true.

He turned and bolted from the alley, the wallet nearly falling out of his sweaty, trembling grasp. Seeing death once more, face-to-face, momentarily erased any guilt and despair from his mind. That left only fear.

_No! Why does everyone around me have to die? **Why?**_


	4. 3: The Unexpected Rescue

**Chapter 3**  
_The Unexpected Rescue_

Staring into the grimy mirror of yet another motel on yet another planet, he studied his scraggly facial hair. He hadn't bothered with regular shaving ever since he'd fallen back into the life of a fugitive. Sometimes he simple didn't have time to, but mostly he just didn't care.

This morning, he had the odd inspiration to experiment. Digging out the razor and shave gel he'd buried in his bag a few stops ago he got to work. Carefully he applied the gel and began to shave. And when he finished, he washed any traces of the greenish gel from his face with the somewhat questionable water that came out of the rusty tap.

Looking into the mirror again, he studied his handiwork. He'd decided to leave some of his beard around his mouth out a vague sense of curiosity about how it would look on him. Though now that he saw it, he wasn't sure what to think of it.

_I'll give it a few days._ He decided, packing his things up again. _If I don't like it, I'll just shave it off._

Slinging his pack over his shoulder, he left in search of new temporary employment. It was the best way to get around and simultaneously cover his tracks. He'd take a job on one ship under one name, and then take a job on another ship using a different name, and then continually repeat. Anyone who could track him down after all of that deserved to catch him.

Checking out of his room and paying for the one night that he'd stayed, he left the crumbling building behind. It was late morning, though it didn't really look it. The light from the sun was blocked by thick clouds. Perhaps it was going to rain at some point, or maybe this was the usual for this planet. He didn't know, nor did he care.

_It's off to a bar to go job hunting…_

_

* * *

_

Zett limped from shadow to shadow, desperate not to be seen. He had no idea where he was. He'd just picked a transport at random and paid for a ticket on it. And he was hoping to do it again.

All the running he'd done recently had only worsened the barely healed blaster burn on his leg. It had torn open again and blood seeped into his makeshift bandage, made from his own spare socks, with each step. It hurt a lot, but he didn't stop or slow down. He didn't dare.

He was still deeply shaken by Mr. Antilles sudden death. His nightmares of the Temple massacre, which had faded somewhat, were now back at full force. The vivid, horrifying images of his fellow Jedi being ruthlessly gunned down by clone soldiers now mingled with Mr. Antilles, pale and bleeding in the dirty alley.

The fear brought on by the dreams and the memories drove him on. His entire being was focused on running; his loneliness and despair were now forgotten. He'd probably keep running until Mr. Antilles' wallet was empty.

He was thirsty and hungry and tired and hurting. But he didn't stop to rest or slow down. He just kept limping along, seeking escape.

It was dark here, wherever here was. Thick gray clouds obscured the sun, letting only a little gray light through. A chill breeze gusted every now and then, making him shiver.

The rough sector of the port city he found himself in wasn't a good one. All the buildings looked old and dirty and broken down. The beings who lived here looked like the buildings that filled the area. Most were oblivious to his presence, though a few watched him limp past with suspicious or calculating eyes.

_I have to get out of here. I have to go. _Zett stumbled, his shoulder bouncing off a brick wall. _I'm so tired…_

_

* * *

_

It was early still, so the bars were mostly empty. Only hardcore alcoholics were here, drinking alcohol. The other patrons in the thin crowds were there for the clean drinks and simple food offered.

Choosing a bar at random, he slipped inside, walked up to the bar, and ordered a glass of water. While his sipped at the cool liquid, his eyes subtly swept over the other customers. He immediately ruled out any drunks or druggies, before evaluating those that were left as he sought a new employer.

In the end, only one person looked promising. A green-eyed Arcona sat near a window eating a light breakfast. Since its eyes were green and not golden-yellow, he could tell this one wasn't a salt addict, and therefore a good bet. Taking his water with him, he casually approached the serpentine, anvil-headed alien.

"Greetings friend," he greeted, taking a seat at the Arcona's table. "May I have the pleasure of your company?"

"Yes," the Arcona hissed agreeably. "We welcome you stranger. May we have the pleasure of your name?"

"Ankahr Wandan," he lied smoothly. "And who might you be?"

"This one is called Vadazz Jint." The Arcona replied. "Where do you hail from?"

"Here and there and nowhere really," Ankahr shrugged. "I wander where the stars lead me. Where do you hail from?"

"This one is from the Dotahn Nest of Cona." Vadazz answered, his forked tongue flicked out to taste the air.

"Have you heard any interesting news lately?" Ankahr inquired politely.

"This new Empire's reach grows longer everyday," Vadazz responded. "We cannot decide if this is a good thing or not. A Star Destroyer arrived in orbit here yesterday and troops have come to search for Jedi."

_Damn it._ "I wonder what makes them think they'll find any Jedi here." Ankahr wondered in a bored tone.

"Impossible to say." Vadazz shrugged his barely existent shoulders.

"Hmph, well I don't plan on sticking around if they're here," Ankahr snorted. "Do you know of any ships that are short a mechanic?"

"Sorry, we know of no ships like that." Vadazz answered.

"That's fine," Ankahr assured him.

He chatted with the Arcona a little while longer to see if he could find out anything else of note. Learning nothing else particularly interesting, he excused himself, paid for his water, and left. This bar had been a bust, it was time to move onto the next one.

As he wandered down the street, he came closer to the city center. And there he spied a patrolling squad of clonetroopers marching down the street. Ankahr ignored them and calmly continued on his way. He had nothing to fear, he was just an ordinary spacer.

He was no Jedi.

_

* * *

_

Zett hobbled into a dark alley behind a bar and collapsed. He simply lacked the strength to continue his flight. And so, very reluctantly, he rested.

It was early afternoon now, and it was still very cloudy and dark out. There were more people out now. He couldn't decide if it was because of the time of day or because of where he was.

Ducking behind some rancid-smelling trash bins, he managed to stay out of sight of any curious pedestrians. He didn't want to get involved with any good Samaritans. In fact he wanted nothing to do with anyone.

_Everyone around me dies._ He clutched his bag tightly to his chest as he did his best to disappear into the wall. _I don't want anyone else to die because of me…_

Exhaustion began to overcome his anxious energy. He hadn't gotten more than an hour or two of sleep in almost two days, and that sleep was plagued with nightmares. Being only ten years old, he wouldn't hold out much longer, Jedi training or not.

His eyelids began to droop. He slumped into the brick wall, struggling to stay awake. But it was no use.

_Master where are you?_ Zett wondered as he fell asleep. In his weariness, he'd forgotten that his Master was long dead and that he was alone…

_

* * *

_

Ankahr chewed on some local specialty, or what the bartender _claimed_ was a local specialty when he'd suggested it, as he studied his fellow patrons. So far he hadn't found a job and a trip off-world, but there was still plenty of time. It was only afternoon, he still had the rest of the day and most of the night before he'd have to find a new cheap hotel to stay in for the night.

There was a Duros that he spotted who was practically guaranteed to own, or be a crewmember on, a ship. The Duros were an ancient species who had all but abandoned their home-world of Duro. They left their planet behind in favor of living permanently among the stars and easily rivaled the Corellians as the best spacers in the galaxy.

A fact about the Duros that Ankahr found interesting was that they were the evolutionary founders of the Neimoidian species. Duros settlers on Neimoidia stayed isolated so long that they become a new species. They both looked very similar though, revealing their relation to each other.

Tossing back some of his current drink, a non-alcoholic fruit drink this time, he paid for his meal and drink and made his way over to the Duros. The blue-green alien ignored his approach, its large orangish eyes fixed on some electronic document. Ankahr took a seat across from him and waited to be acknowledged. It took a while.

Finally the alien looked up, staring at him with his strange horizontally slit-pupiled eyes. "Can I help you?"

"I hope so," Ankahr gave a friendly half-smile. "You wouldn't happen to know of a ship in need of a mechanic's touch, would you?"

"No," the Duros replied. He was lying.

Ankahr cocked an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Yes," the Duros nodded.

_Crud._ "Oh well, I guess I shall take my business elsewhere." Ankahr sighed dispiritedly.

"My cousin will be coming in a few days to Darvst," the Duros added just as Ankahr was getting ready to leave. "Last I heard, he was still wrestling with his engines."

"Really, well I shall keep my eye out for him," Ankahr cheerfully promised as he stood. "Thank you sir, it was nice speaking with you." He bowed slightly and retreated to the bar to buy a glass of ale.

_Darvst…that's a different city around here…I think. _Ankahr mused. _I'll have to look that up._ He took a long sip of the golden Chandrilan ale. _After I finish this…_

_

* * *

_

Zett barely was able to muffle a scream as he was jolted back to consciousness. Yet another nightmare had struck him, driving him back to wakefulness barely an hour after he'd passed out. And then he discovered that the nightmare wasn't over quite yet.

There was a trio of clonetroopers just across the street from his little alley.

He froze. Just seeing them was enough to halt most rational thought in his head. Distant blaster shots and pained screams echoed in his ears.

At some point he got up and limped away as quickly as he could. He didn't remember deciding to do it, just one moment he was sitting and shaking, and the next he was up and limping. He had to get away.

Around the corner he spied a clump of warehouses and made for them. The massive storage buildings were full of boxes being stored, shipped, and shifted around. Parts of it were busy, other parts weren't, and there were places to hide everywhere. It was perfect. He went for it.

"Hey you, stop there!" A clone called.

Zett moved faster. Maybe they weren't talking to him. Maybe it was someone else who had caught their eye. Maybe–

"Boy, stop walking and turn around!" A clone shouted.

Now he ran as fast as he could. He didn't dare stop. If he did, they'd find his lightsaber, recognize his braid, and kill him. The warehouses were closer now, he could get away.

"Stop!" A trooper ordered. He could hear them running after him now.

Zett made it to an open warehouse door and ducked inside. The cavernous chamber was filled with stacks of boxes and load-lifters operated by droids. It was dim inside, and there were shadows everywhere. He stumbled down an aisle and followed its twists and turns until he hit a dead end. And then he started scaling the boxes, ignoring the stabbing pain in his leg.

"Seal off this building and search it top to bottom!" He heard echoing underneath the machine noise.

He hauled himself up to the top of the stack and crawled until he found a crevice between some crates just wide enough to squeeze in. He pressed himself tightly into it and struggled to catch his breath. They wouldn't look for him up here.

At least he didn't think they would.

_Somebody…please help me!_

_

* * *

_

_Now let's see. I could go to Darvst and hope that Duros wasn't screwing with me. Or I could stay here and wait for a few days. With all the inquiries I've been making, some desperate captain could come to me looking for help…_

Ankahr paid for his drink and left the bar, his pack dangling from his hand. He had two options before him and both would take some time. But whichever he chose, it seemed increasingly obvious that he wasn't going to make it off-planet today.

_Wonderful, I'm stuck on cloud land and–_

A surge of fear and panic washed over him, derailing his train of thought and making him pause. Shaking it off quickly, he walked to a corner and leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and concentrated. To a passer-by, he looked like he was thinking, maybe sleeping standing up, but he wasn't. He was 'looking'.

In minutes, he detected a glaring presence in the Force. There was a Force-sensitive nearby, and he (or she) seemed to be in trouble. He sensed a lot of fear, panic, and a hint of pain.

Opening his eyes, he traced the energy signature he'd detected. It brought him to a few blocks of warehouses, busy shifting and storing the goods that came in and out of the city every day. Casually he wandered around the place until he found one building in particular.

_Here we are…_ He pulled his pack on tightly and found a place where he could slip in through a window. Waiting a few moments to make sure that no one saw him, he scurried up a small pile of crates and hopped through the opened window.

It dim inside, and rather dusty where he'd landed. There were towering stacks of boxes everywhere, forming maze-like aisles inside the cavernous structure. And it was eerily quiet.

Normally it should've been noisy in here. This was a busy port city and this warehouse obviously wasn't abandoned, so there should be the noise of load-lifters and worker droids moving things and working. But all he heard was the faint clumping sound of armored boots walking on the duracrete floor.

_Hmm, they must've sealed off this building to search it._ He thought as he carefully climbed the nearest stack of boxes to get a better, safer vantage point. _This is going to be **fun**!_

Crouching in the shadows at the top of the stack, he closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to narrow down his search area further and find out where his adversaries were, and how many of them were around. He found clones guarding all the doors, as he expected, and no less than six clones sweeping the floor of the warehouse. It would only be a matter of time until they finished that and decided to take their search upwards.

His target, the flickering, fearful presence, wasn't on the ground, thankfully. Whoever it was, was up on top of one of the stacks. And fear was rapidly consuming him (or her).

He narrowed his focus into a single filament of thought and tried to connect with the frightened mind at the center of the Force presence. _(Hey, calm down.)_

_(Master?)_ Came the frightened reply.

Immediately he could tell several things about this other person. It was a young boy, either a Padawan who'd been separated from his Master, or one who had been Orphaned. And he was tired, hungry, thirsty, hurting, and sacred half out of his mind.

_(Calm down,)_ he repeated, zeroing in on the kid's location. _(I'm coming to get you.)_

_(Okay…)_ The boy replied faintly.

Carefully picking his way over the uneven stacks of crates, he worked his way over to where he sensed the boy. Thankfully he didn't have to leap over any gaps or go too far to find him. Though the kid was wedged so deeply in a crevice that he almost missed the kid and stepped on him.

_(Come out of there.)_ He poked the kid's shoulder. Well, he thought it was his shoulder, it could've been his back. _(Hurry, we're leaving.)_

_(Yes, Master.)_ The boy replied then slowly rose up out of the crack he'd been squished into.

The kid was a mess. He was pale and shaky, with dark shadows forming under his eyes. He probably hadn't bathed in a few days and his clothes were rumpled and stained. His dark eyes were slightly glazed, unfocused, with a mixture of exhaustion, fear, pain, and perhaps the beginnings of an illness.

_Yeesh, did I look this bad when Obi-Wan first found me?_ _(Come,)_ he beckoned, keeping the communication silent. He didn't want to alert the clones to his presence and their location. _(Follow me and be as quiet as you can.)   
_

_ (Yes, Master.)_ The Padawan replied.

Checking the troopers locations again, he turned and set off, back the way he came. He went a bit slower this time so that the child could more easily keep up with him. Then after a nerve-wracking ten minutes or so of cautious creeping, he helped the kid down from the stack and out the window he'd come in.

The Padawan collapsed into a heap under the window, weak with relief. But he couldn't stop yet, they were still in the little warehouse district and the clonetroopers wouldn't stop until searching the area until they found something, or was sure there wasn't anything to find. He picked the kick up and set him back on his feet.

"Can't stop here," he whispered. "Follow me."

"Yes, Master." The Padawan panted wearily, doing his best to obey.

"Try not to call me that in front of other people," he grumbled softly as he led the boy back into the rest of the city, careful to avoid any other troopers.

"Why?" The boy asked.

"Because it tells anyone who's listening one of two things," he replied softly as they slipped back onto the street, heading for the opposite fringe of the city. "It either shows us as Jedi, or it makes others think that you are my slave."

"Oh," the boy blinked. "Where are we going?"

"Away from here for a start," he replied distractedly as he glanced around at a corner. "We'll probably leave this city for another one, and then get off-planet as soon as possible…go deep into the Outer Rim…"

"Okay," the kid replied faintly, starting to sway a bit.

"Let's find a public transportation station." He suggested, lightly grasping the Padawan's elbow to catch him in case he fell over. "I believe I saw one this way…"

Thankfully his memory served him well and there was a public transportation station where he'd thought he'd seen one. Here one could buy tickets for a ride on a train-type contraption to nearly everywhere on this particular continent. One of the cities listed on the schedule was Darvst.

_Looks like I'm going to Darvst then…_

After paying for two tickets on the next train to Darvst, he towed the trembling Padawan into the station's waiting area. The boy collapsed next to him on the bench and it looked as though he could fall asleep at any moment. But he didn't. He just sat there, watching every thing that moved around him.

_Poor thing,_ he sighed, _even now he can't relax. _


	5. 4: The Unexpected Companion

**Chapter 4**  
_The Unexpected Companion_

It was deep night when he finally found a cheap hotel that would be suitable after arriving in Darvst. The Padawan had finally passed out in the train car and, reluctant to wake him, he'd carefully slung the boy on his back and carried him. Now he gently put the kid on the second bad and rubbed at his shoulders.

_Man, he got heavy after a while._ He pulled the kid's shoes off his feet, slipped his little bag off his shoulder, and covered him with the worn out sheets that came with the bed. When he was satisfied that the child would be comfortable for the night, he retreated to his own bed and shut off the light.

As he struggled to get comfortable on the lumpy mattress, he peered through the darkness at the barely discernable form on the other bed. He didn't want company. But now it seemed he had no choice in the matter. He certainly couldn't leave the boy to be killed.

_I never asked his name,_ he realized. _Gotta__ remember to ask him what it is…in the morning…_

_

* * *

_

Zett clawed his way out of his nightmare-plagued sleep…and out of bed too. He crashed to the hard floor and scrambled backwards into a corner to dazedly escape from the menacing shadows that still clashed in his mind and memory. And it was all made worse by the fact that he had no idea where he was or how he'd gotten here.

_Wha_– _Where? Master?_

Instinctively he reached for the bond with his Master. But it was broken. And he remembered that his Master dead. His Master had been dead for over two years now. He was alone…

"Master," he whimpered softly, hugging his knees to his chest in spite of the painful protests of his injured leg.

The light suddenly flickered on, blinding him briefly. He shielded his eyes with his arm and fearfully pressed himself deeper into the corner. When his vision adjusted, he anxiously peered past his arm to see who had custody of him now.

A tall man stood over him. He was stripped down to his pants for sleeping, revealing that he had a scar on his left side and a gray durasteel prosthetic for a right hand. His hair was curly, long, and dark blonde, and he had a short beard around his mouth. The man's eyes were a clear hard blue and he had a vertical scar on his right temple.

"Have a nightmare?" The man asked softly in a deep voice.

Zett nodded a jerky yes.

"Thought so," the man sighed. "C'mon, get up. The floor isn't a comfortable place to spend the night."

He tried to obey, but when he moved the reopened blaster burn really started to hurt. Hissing in pain, he curled up again, clutching at the spot just above his knee. With all the running he'd done the day before, it felt like he might've hurt it worse.

"Let me see that." The man sighed and slipped his hands under his armpits and lifted him up off the floor and onto the bed like he weighed nothing at all. He removed Zett's pants before he could blink and studied the makeshift bandage critically. Just as Zett was starting to get uncomfortable, the man removed the stained, soaked bandages to reveal the wound underneath.

It wasn't pretty. There were several small tears in the skin in the ragged circle of the old blaster burn. The stress of constant walking and running had strained the fragile scar tissue and now it sluggishly oozed blood and was starting to look a bit infected. Zett felt vaguely ill just looking at it.

"Don't look at it," the man suggested helpfully. "You probably don't want to watch while I clean this up."

Zett gladly took the advice and looked away and around at the rest of the room. It looked like a rundown apartment, or perhaps a cheap hotel room. It was certainly the worst place he'd ever been in, worse even than the hastily thrown together pre-fabricated housing set up for the Republican forces on Jabiim. Everything looked worn out and dirty, not at all inviting or cozy.

He flinched at the sudden and painful sensation of the man cleaning up his lingering blaster wound. It hurt a lot, even though he could tell that the man was doing his best to be gentle about it. His eyes stung with the beginnings of tears when the man finally seemed to finish and bound the injury back up.

"There, that should do it, at least for tonight." The man stated with little satisfaction. "But you really shouldn't have been walking on this. When did you get hurt?"

"A few months ago," Zett croaked. _I'm so thirsty._

"A few months," the man repeated, frowning. "This should be healed by now if it happened that long ago."

"It almost was," Zett swallowed in a futile attempt to help his dry throat, "but then I hurt it again."

The man seemed to notice his thirst and took pity on him. He briefly disappeared to fetch a small plastic cup of tap water from the refresher. After Zett had greedily drained the little cup, he spoke again.

"Where did you have your injury treated?" He asked curiously.

"In the royal palace outside of Aldera." Zett answered hesitantly.

"Aldera? On Alderaan?" The man blinked in surprise. "Wait a minute…" He leaned in and squinted, as if he were trying to place Zett somewhere in his memory. "No way," his eyes widened. "You're the Padawan that I gave to Senator Organa, aren't you?"

Now it was time for Zett's eyes to widen. He vaguely recalled the black-clad Knight who had rescued him from the clones who were massacring Jedi in the Temple and placed him in the care of Senator Organa. But that Jedi didn't have a beard…

"Yes," Zett nodded slowly.

"Well, I would say that you look better but…you don't." The Knight remarked honestly, taking the empty cup back from Zett. "You just have fewer holes in you."

"Yeah," Zett swallowed, stiffly pulling his pants back on.

"So, what were you doing all by yourself?" The Knight asked. "I don't think Senator Organa would send you off on your own."

"He didn't," Zett nearly whispered. "He sent me with a man, but he…died."

"He _died_?" The Knight frowned.

Zett's eyes dropped to his lap where he studied his clasped, trembling hands. "Some people tried to rob us. And they stabbed him."

"Oh," the Knight mumbled, "I see."

Zett just stared at his hands, desperately trying to push the image of Mr. Antilles dying from his mind. The Knight refilled the cup and gave it back to him along with some pills, probably painkillers for his dully throbbing leg. Somehow he choked them down and then curled up on the bed as comfortably as he could. He didn't feel like talking anymore.

"Hey, what's your name?" The Knight asked softly as he turned the light back off.

"Zett Jukassa," he replied and then buried his face in the flat pillow and waited for sleep to come.

The last thing he remembered hearing was the Knight saying, "You never catch a break, do you?"

_

* * *

_

He buried his face in his hands in the darkness of the room and sighed. He remembered Zett. He remembered the kid well.

Zett had been on Jabiim and lost his Master there. And now it seemed that he'd suffered two other bad bits of fortune. He'd been shot almost to death, and then his temporary guardian had been knifed in front of him.

_Poor kid,_ he sighed, _no wonder he has nightmares…_

He'd first met the boy on Jabiim during his time living under the alias of Vader. He'd watched the boy fall apart upon sensing his Master's demise and then ended up taking care of him for the week it took to get him shipped back to Coruscant. The poor kid had only been eight at the time.

The universe just didn't seem to like Zett Jukassa all that much. Kind of like the universe didn't like Anakin Skywalker. It was almost like they were long lost brothers, or two of a kind…or something.

_Why is it that I always run into him on one of his bad days?_ He wondered tiredly, flopping back on his less than comfortable mattress. No answer came to him. Only another question appeared in his mind. _Now what am I going to do with him?_

He certainly couldn't keep the kid. That was out of the question. Zett knew him as a Jedi, but that wasn't really true. He'd never taken any oath to the Order, he hadn't grown up in the Temple, he was no Jedi at all.

_I can't keep him. But where can I take him? It's not like the Jedi had any contingency plans for what to do and where to go if the Temple is attacked…_

If they had any sense, any surviving Jedi would make a run for the Outer Rim. He'd stayed in the Mid Rim territories to see if he could assist any who were having trouble getting that far. But he had no real plans to go to the Outer Rim himself, at least not for a while.

And he didn't know who had made it and who hadn't. He had no clue who to look for, and certainly not where to look for them. He wasn't even sure where to start looking.

Sorting through a long list of planets in his mind, one jumped out at him. It wasn't ideal. In fact, he despised the place. However it had some good points that he couldn't ignore.

_Hett will be there. If he isn't dead. And if he is, worse comes to worse, I can leave Zett with Mom…_

Yawning, he rolled over on his bed and did his best to sleep. In the morning he'd have to do some shopping and actually book a flight instead of working for his board like he'd been doing before. But now, he needed rest…

_

* * *

_

Zett returned to consciousness slowly at first. Then he snapped awake as he recalled recent events and looked around anxiously for the strange Knight who now had custody of him. But he found himself alone in the room.

Hazy light filtered in around the edges of the rusty looking blinds, partly illuminating the small room. The light wasn't much better than it had been last night, but it was enough to show him even more how poorly kept the room was. However the far from ideal accommodations were the furthest thing from his mind.

He was alone again. The Knight was nowhere in sight. Zett couldn't sense him nearby either. He'd been abandoned.

Panic seeped into the corners and crevices of his mind, magnifying the shadows of the room, giving them a sinister flavor. Of course he'd been left behind. He was crippled, his injured leg made him a liability instead of an asset. He would only slow the Knight down, put him in unnecessary danger. And–

The door opened and Zett gave a start. He spun to the doorway to find the Knight there. The older man stared back at him with a puzzled expression.

"Did you have another nightmare?" The Knight asked.

Zett looked away uncomfortably, shaking his head slightly and feeling ashamed. What was he doing thinking so poorly of another Jedi? He was letting his emotions get the better of him, something he hadn't done since his first year as Master Unill's Padawan.

"Well, take a quick shower," the Knight sighed. "After I take a look at that old burn we can go get some breakfast. Well, actually it'd be more like lunch now."

_I slept that late?_ Zett blinked in surprise as he limped into the tiny, grimy refresher. _It barely feels like I was asleep at all…_

He did his best to shower quickly, though his injured leg made it very difficult. It had stopped bleeding, the tears in the skin had scabbed over during the night, but if he moved it too much the scabs could crack open. As it was, the soap that was provided in the shower irritated the sensitive skin on his barely healed wounds.

Once he felt clean, he carefully dried off and dressed again. He didn't put his pants as the Knight would have to treat his injured leg. And when he was ready he limped back out of the refresher.

The Knight quickly got to work treating and bandaging the old wound. After disinfecting it, he gently rubbed some Bacta cream on it to help speed the healing process and minimize the scarring. Then he carefully bandaged it up and gave him some pills to dull the pain and keep the swelling down.

"That's already looking much better," the Knight remarked as Zett wriggled back into his pants. "In a week I think it'll be as good as new."

"Thank you," Zett mumbled gratefully, casting his eyes to the flattened, dirty carpet.

There was a rustling noise and Zett looked up to see the Knight digging through a cheap paper bag. He produced a small coat and a shapeless lump of cloth that turned out to be a hat. Shaking them out, he passed them to Zett.

Zett shrugged off his old coat, a nice gray one the Alderaanians had given him, and put on the worn brown leather one the Knight found for him. It was bigger than the other coat, it was baggy and he had to fiddle with the sleeves a bit so that they wouldn't slide over his hands. And then he pulled the hat on over his head.

The Knight studied him critically for a moment, then leaned over and adjusted the cap, tucking Zett's Padawan braid out of sight. "There," he nodded in satisfaction. "Perfect. Now let's get something to eat."

"Yes, Master." Zett replied agreeably and slung his small bag over his shoulder.

"Please don't call me that," the Knight sighed. "Do you remember what I told you yesterday?"

"Yes, Ma – sir." Zett swallowed.

"And don't call me sir." The Knight's expression was rather sour.

"Then what am I to call you?" Zett blinked.

The Knight hesitated before answering. "My name is Anakin Skywalker, but lately I've been using a lot of aliases. The most current one is Ankahr Wandan."

"Oh," Zett nodded, doing his best to commit this information to memory. "Do I need an alias?"

"No," the Knight – Ankahr Wandan for now – chuckled as he led Zett from the room. "We'll just change your last name to Wandan so you can pretend to be my younger cousin."

"Okay," Zett nodded again.

The Knight led him out of the seedy hotel to a slightly nicer part of the city. There they found a casual dinning restaurant that had decent fare at a cheap price. Settling themselves at a table, they studied the menu, trying to figure out what they wanted.

However Zett found himself somewhat distracted. He'd never heard of a Jedi Knight named Anakin Skywalker, he was sure of that. Yet he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that he'd met this Jedi before. And this odd contradiction kept buzzing around his mind while he tried to read the menu and decide on his order.

When the waiter droid appeared, Zett had to scramble and come up with what he wanted. Knight Skywalker ordered ahead of him when he took too long and the droid, which had a rather sullen attitude, began to get impatient. Embarrassed, Zett just went with the first thing that he recognized, a sandwich that contained Bantha and Nerf meat.

"Is something wrong?" Knight Skywalker asked curiously once the droid had left.

"Nothing's wrong. It's just…you…seem familiar to me. But I know I've never heard your name before." Zett shrugged helplessly.

"Oh?" The Knight raised an inquiring eyebrow. "Perhaps we have met before." He suggested.

"But where?" Zett frowned. "And when?"

"Be patient, I'm sure you'll remember." Knight Skywalker advised. "Ah, food's here!" He grinned as the grumpy server droid returned with two plates and two glasses.

The older Jedi cheerfully dug into his meal, the fledgling conversation seemingly forgotten. Zett was annoyed at the interruption, but after the first bite of his sandwich he didn't care so much any more. He'd forgotten just how hungry he was.

_

* * *

_

After lunch, Anakin led Zett to the spaceport where their transport awaited. It was a basic passenger carrier that also ferried some cargo along with its sentient payload. The transport wouldn't be going directly to where he needed to go, but its twisting route would get them as far as Mos Eisley, which was good enough.

The accommodations were better than he'd had in months. Instead of being crammed in with the crew, there was a small, but private cabin that he only had to share with Zett. The ship was old and slow, but serviceable. It would do just fine.

Hopefully this voyage wouldn't take too long. He wanted to find a more permanent guardian for the Padawan as quickly as possible. Once he'd done that, he could resume his aimless solitary existence. It was all for the best.

"Master, I have a question." Zett began once they'd settled into their tiny cabin.

"Yes?" Anakin prompted, feeling a vague sort of dread.

"I'm sure that I've met you before, but…I don't know where." Zett shifted on the narrow bunk that jutted out of the bulkhead. "I know I've never seen you in the Temple. So where could I have met you?"

Anakin hesitated for a long minute. He didn't want to connect the dots for the kid. He didn't want the Padawan to know of their previous acquaintanceship. But his resistance crumbled under the weight of Zett's confused, questioning gaze.

"How much of Jabiim do you remember?" Anakin asked.

Zett recoiled from the mention of Jabiim almost like he'd been physically struck by it. "I…my-my Master, Master Unill, he…died there." The Padawan swallowed, his eyes dropped down to the deck. "And…after I was sent back to Coruscant, everyone there died."

"Most, but not all." Anakin corrected, taking a seat next to the Padawan on the bunk. "Master Kenobi survived, though everyone thought him dead for a long time. And I'm not dead." At Zett's puzzled look, he gave the kid a hint of sorts. "Do you remember what grades you got on that homework I helped you with?"

At first Zett just looked even more confused. Then his expression became thoughtful as he mulled over the hint. And then his eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets as all the little puzzle pieces came together in his head.

"You…you were…" Zett gaped, unable to form a complete and coherent sentence.

"Hello again," Anakin grinned sheepishly. "Weird how we keep running into each other, isn't it?"

"But…you said your name was…" The Padawan trailed off in stunned confusion.

"I never said that was my name, I simply said that that's what people call me." Anakin corrected. "There's a difference."

"Why would people call you Vader?" Zett frowned.

"It's not important." Anakin dismissed. "Now, how is your leg feeling?"

Zett blinked, thrown by the sudden shift in conversation. "It-it doesn't hurt as much anymore."

"Good," Anakin nodded; pleased to hear that his injury hadn't worsened with the walking they'd had to do.

The Padawan stared up at him silently for a few minutes. His eyes seemed to grow glassy and Anakin wondered if he'd start crying. And then, to his surprise, the Padawan threw his arms around him and buried his face in Anakin's shoulder.

"I never thought I'd see you again!" Zett whimpered, trembling with emotion.

"I never though I'd see you again either." Anakin admitted, gently patting the boy on the back. "But I'm glad that I did."

And he _was_ glad that he'd run into Zett again. It was nice to see that the boy had mostly recovered from Jabiim and had made it through the Temple Massacre alive. But soon they would have to part ways again.

_He needs a Master to look after him and teach him, and I'm going to find one for him… _


	6. 5: The Unexpected Return

**Chapter 5**  
_The Unexpected Return _

It was dusty, bright, and hot, just like he remembered it to be. Sand was everywhere; he swore he could feel the gritty, irritating texture inside his boots within the first five steps he took on the ground of the dusty landing bay. But he pushed the thoughts of the unpleasant climate and annoying sand from his mind and focused on what he was doing here.

And what he was doing here was deceptively simple. He was here to find a Jedi to take over caring for a Padawan he'd found. If the Jedi he hoped to find was not here, then he would find a safe place to leave the Padawan so that he could continue the search for another Jedi elsewhere. However, actually accomplishing either goal was going to be a trial.

Tatooine was not a kind world by any stretch of the imagination. The entire planet was an endless desert. The population consisted of the greedy yet cowardly scavengers called Jawas, violent primitive nomads known as Tusken Raiders, and a plethora of off-world colonists ranging from peaceful moisture farmers to decadent criminal Hutts and every shade of rough being in between. The cities were filled with vice, the outlaying towns were mired in isolation, and the wilds that filled in the gaps were cruel and unforgiving.

This world was, by all accounts, one of the more notorious armpits of the galaxy. If there was a bright center to the universe, this planet was the furthest from it. And it was home, sweet home…

"Stay close," he warned the young Padawan who hovered near his shoulder. "This city is rather rough."

"Yes, Master." Zett answered reflexively.

"Don't call me that here." Anakin replied sharply. "This is Hutt territory. Slavery is a common practice here. If you call me Master, people will assume that you are my slave. Some might even make offers to buy you. I'd rather avoid that sort of attention."

"Yes, Mast – _sir_." Zett agreed, hurriedly correcting himself. "Where are we?"

"Mos Eisley, Tatooine." Anakin answered, leading Zett towards the sandy city streets. It wasn't noon yet, but the binary suns and desert climate combined to make it broiling hot. It was only going to get worse.

"Why are we here?" Zett wondered as he limped after Anakin.

"We are here because we landed here." Anakin responded distractedly as he worked to get his bearings. He'd only visited Mos Eisley a few times as a child, and only briefly. Mos Espa was his stomping grounds.

"Why are we here, on this planet?" Zett clarified.

"Because it is far away from the Core and because I hope to find someone here." Anakin replied.

"Who?" Zett asked curiously.

"Jedi Knight A'Sharad Hett." Anakin muttered, looking for a place to rent a speeder or an Eopie.

"Why would he come here?" Zett frowned in distaste. Apparently the Padawan already disliked the miserable planet.

"He spent the early part of his life among the Tusken Raiders, a species native to this planet and _only_ this planet." Anakin explained. "If he has survived, he will come here."

"Oh," Zett blinked and fell silent.

Now that he was quiet, Anakin almost completely forgot about the child as he picked his way through the vaguely familiar streets. They needed planetary transport of some kind and that's what he was looking for. And he settled on the first option he found, a business that sold and rented landspeeders.

Choosing a decent two-seater, he paid for a week's use of it in advance. Once the dealer handed him the key, he loaded their two small bags and Zett into it and turned it on. Satisfied at how it started the sounds the engines made, he put it into gear and sped off towards Mos Espa and hopefully a place to stay while he tried to get into contact with A'Sharad Hett.

_

* * *

_

Zett slumped down in his seat beside Knight Skywalker and gazed dully out at the landscape. The man had rented an open-top speeder with only two seats and a smallish space to store their bags. The open top let the wind keep them cool, but it gave no protection from the glaring binary suns of the planet. So he was rather miserable.

Squinting against the glare, he stared blankly at the never-changing landscape of large sand dunes. Sometimes he caught distant glimpses of sandstone mesas crouching on the horizon, but he couldn't make out any details. The trip after leaving the city was totally unremarkable or eventful.

The wind that whipped past him and had repeatedly tried to rip off his new hat was laced with dusty grit. Sometimes a particle of the stuff would get in his eye and make it sting and water until it got washed out. Zett began to wonder if Knight Skywalker was using some subtle Force technique to keep the blown sand out of his eyes as he never once appeared to get anything irritating in his eye.

Again he wondered why they were here, of all places. Why did they need to find this strange Knight, A'Sharad Hett? Had Knight Skywalker already been on his way to find this person when he'd found Zett?

Idly tracing a finger along the side of the speeder, making patterns in the dust there, he sighed. They'd been going for nearly two hours now and the view outside hadn't changed one bit. He wondered if they were just going in circles. He wondered if they were lost.

"We're not lost," Knight Skywalker yelled over the roar of the wind and the buzz of the speeder engine. "We'll be there in just under a half a Standard hour."

Zett cringed guiltily, feeling that he must have inadvertently projected his complaining thoughts. Closing his eyes, he did his best to tune out the noise so that he could inspect his shields. He found no obvious cracks, but he was just a Padawan, no expert on Force abilities by any means.

He spent the rest of the lengthy ride meditating. He hadn't practiced in a long time and it felt good to be doing something so comfortingly familiar. And the time passed much quicker this way.

When he came back to himself, he saw buildings again and the feeling that they might've been going in circles returned. It looked almost exactly like the last city they'd been in. All the buildings were boxy and in shades of yellow brown. The streets were sandy and choked with pedestrians, speeders, swoop bikes, and several different kinds of large pack animals.

"Welcome to Mos Espa," Knight Skywalker muttered, oddly sarcastic.

They were going much slower now, so it was much easier to hear. Though there were many other sounds besides Knight Skywalker's voice that competed for his attentions. Beings were shouting in many different languages, vehicles hummed through streets, and animals grunted and bellowed.

Knight Skywalker easily navigated the streets as if he were taking a walk through the familiar confines of the Temple. Whenever a street seemed blocked or the traffic was moving too slowly for his tastes, he'd divert his course and take a different route without a second's hesitation. He'd obviously been here before and was quite familiar with this place.

He steered the speeder to the far edge of the city. The buildings were no longer boxy, just lumps of hardened mud and sand lumped together into a sloppy clump. It looked deserted here, with only a few people walking around and no pack animals or vehicles around.

"What is this place?" Zett asked as he looked around uncomfortably.

"This is Mos Espa's Slave Quarter." Knight Skywalker replied.

"The Slave Quarter?" Zett repeated stupidly.

"Yes, the people who live here are slaves, former slaves, and people who are too poor to afford anything better." Knight Skywalker explained patiently as they drew up on the edge of the district and slowed down further.

"Why are we coming here?" Zett wondered.

"There might be a place where we can stay for free," Knight Skywalker told him and stopped the speeder. "Wait here while I check."

"Yes, M–sir." Zett nodded.

He watched a bit anxiously as the man hopped out of the speeder and strode confidently up to a door. The Knight keyed a code into the pad next to the door and it whined open. Knight Skywalker stepped inside the dark doorway and was lost from sight for a few minutes. When he returned, he looked satisfied with whatever he'd found.

"It's uninhabited," Knight Skywalker reported, "we can stay. Get your bag and follow me."

Zett did as he was told and limped after the Knight into the rundown building. It was rather narrow and cramped inside and the air was distinctly musty. A visible layer of dust covered everything and most of the lights didn't appear to work anymore. The hovel obviously hadn't been occupied in years.

The Knight led him to a tiny room that contained a small bed that was little more than a shelf recessed into the wall and padded with some tattered blankets. "You can stay here," he said. "I'll be in the room just across the hall. I'm going out to get us some food. Wait here for me."

"Yes, sir." Zett gulped nervously.

He didn't want to be left alone here in this musty, dusty, desert place. It was cramped, and smothering, and eerily quiet. But he had no say in the matter, he was just a junior-level Padawan and it was his duty to do as he was told without fuss.

"I shouldn't be gone longer than an hour," Knight Skywalker called over his shoulder and then vanished out the door.

Zett sighed and resigned himself to his lonely fate. He set his small travel bag down on the little bed and sat down beside it to look around the room. It was bare now, giving no hint to any previous tenant it may have housed. He shivered and hugged himself to try and stave off his loneliness. But it didn't help much.

_

* * *

_

Anakin picked his way through the familiar streets with some groceries and a bag of take-out tucked under his arms. He could've taken the speeder, but he didn't have far to go and was in no hurry, so he'd moved it into the little niche behind the old hovel where he'd once stored the pod-racer he'd built. Walking was better for him anyway, even in this heat.

Once he made it back to his old home, he planned to feed Zett and himself and then do some meditating. The meditating would hopefully help him see if A'Sharad was here or not. If he was, then he'd try to find some way of meeting with him. If he wasn't, he'd leave the hovel in the morning and take Zett to stay with his mother. He really hoped the former would be the case and not the latter.

As he reentered the Slave Quarter, he stumbled over a scene that made him pause. A lean, red-headed Human male was giving another Human man, this one deeply tanned and dark-haired, and a Rodian a hard time. All three bore vague traces of familiarity to his eye, but he couldn't immediately place them.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" The darker Human sighed irritably.

"No, there's nothing 'better to do' here." The red-head sneered.

_"(Why don't you bother someone else?)"_ The Rodian asked in Huttese.

"Well you're right here, and you idiots are always good for some trashing." The red-head growled.

"Knock it off Seek." The darker Human grumbled.

Anakin goggled a bit. _Seek?_ He blinked. _Seek the bully?_ He took a step closer and squinted. _That **is** him! Wow, I didn't recognize him without what's-her-name…Melee…hanging around his shadow._

He turned his gaze to the other two, the Human and Rodian pair. They seemed even more familiar to him now that he recognized the old local bully. _Could that be…Kitster and Wald?_

"No, I'm not going to 'knock it off' Kitster!" Seek snapped. "I'm – hey!" He sputtered, turning and catching sight of Anakin watching them a few yards away. "What are you looking at Outlander?" Seek growled.

_Outlander?_ "I'm looking at you," Anakin replied simply. "Does that bother you?"

"Yes, yes it does," Seek frowned. "Stop it."

"Make me," Anakin shrugged, shifting his bags.

"You wouldn't dare hit me back," Seek declared.

"I don't mind paying any fines." Anakin replied calmly.

Seek glared acidly at him and Anakin held his eyes calmly. The bully took a few slow steps towards him but Anakin made no move. He stared a bit longer, then backed off.

"You're not worth the trouble," Seek sniffed and left.

"All bark and no bite." Anakin muttered to himself and started to continue on his way back to the hovel.

"Hey wait!" Kitster called, trotting after him. "Who are you?"

Anakin cringed and swallowed. While he missed his friends, he didn't want to risk talking to them. But due to his long association with Obi-Wan, he had developed an aversion to being rude to people, especially people he liked and considered friends.

"I'm Anakin Skywalker." He replied somewhat reluctantly.

"You're An…" Kitster's jaw dropped. "_Ani_?"

_"(Ani? What?)"_ Wald asked, scampering over so that he could hear better.

"Yes, that's my name." Anakin smiled weakly.

"Ani? Is it really you?" Kitster gawked.

"Of course it's me, who else would I be?" Anakin blinked.

"Anakin?" Kitster blinked, looking Anakin up and down. "Anakin!" He smiled and tackled his long-lost friend in a fierce hug.

_"(Anakin!)"_ Wald cried and added to the hug.

Anakin staggered under their weight and tried not to drop his bags. "I take it that you missed me." He teased.

"Where have you been?" Kitster asked, backing off a bit.

_"(How have you been?)"_ Wald inquired, also letting go and taking a step back.

"What are you doing back here?" Kitster wondered before Anakin could squeeze in an answer.

_"(Have you been anywhere interesting?)"_ Wald added curiously.

"Whoa, slow down!" Anakin managed. "One question at a time please!" When they obediently quieted down, he started to answer. "Where have I been?" He repeated. _Where **haven't** I been?_ "Oh, lot's of different places."

"Name a few?" Kitster pleaded.

"Um," he shifted his bags, "let's walk and talk." He suggested and started walking. "Let me think… I've been all sorts of places like Ansion…Riflor…Darstatt–"

"I've never heard of any of those places." Kitster interrupted.

"Coruscant," he continued. "You've heard of _that_ one."

_"(You've been to **Coruscant**!)"_ Wald gaped. _"(What's it like?)"_

"It's very busy, traffic everywhere at all hours, lots of buildings… It's just one big city." Anakin shrugged. "If I had any pictures on me, I'd show you."

_"(Wow,)"_ Wald breathed. _"(So, how have you been?)"_

"I…" Anakin gulped, casting his eyes to the ground. "I've been better."

"What's wrong?" Kitster asked in concern.

"Lots of things," Anakin muttered vaguely. "Though most of it stems from the current state of the galaxy."

_"(What?)"_ Wald frowned in confusion, twitching his dish-like antennae.

"You mean…this Empire thing?" Kitster guessed.

"Yeah, and its self-styled Emperor," Anakin muttered sourly, going so far as to spit off to the side when he spoke of Sidious.

Kitster and Wald gasped. Spitting, consciously wasting precious body fluids, was almost a sin on a desert planet like Tatooine. It was the worst insult on Tatooine and Anakin knew this perfectly well. It was worth wasting his saliva to tarnish Sidious' name.

"I lost a lot of friends because of him." Anakin swallowed, biting his lip. "A lot of people died because of him and they didn't deserve it. And it's only going to get worse."

"This about that Purge thing, isn't it." Kitster decided. "Anakin, I know you liked that Jedi, but he never did come back here, not even after you left."

"I know," Anakin growled. "He died, that's why he never came back."

_"(He died?)"_ Wald sputtered. _"(When did he die?)"_

"Not long after he left here." Anakin replied, kicking at some of the sand under his boots. "He never got the chance to come back here."

"How do you know?" Kitster asked.

"I saw his grave and checked the dates." Anakin told him. _Almost home…_

"Oh, I'm sorry Ani." Kitster shrugged uncomfortably.

"Don't worry about it," Anakin sighed. "You didn't have anything to do with it."_  
_

"So, what are you doing back here?" Kitster inquired.

"Looking up an…acquaintance." Anakin replied slowly. "Trying to see if he's still alive."

"Really?" Kitster blinked.

_"(Do we know him?)"_ Wald asked.

"I doubt it." Anakin snorted as his old hovel came into view. "If he's here, he's living out with the Tusken Raiders."

_"(What?)"_ Wald squeaked.

"Is he insane?" Kitster asked wide-eyed.

"I think so," Anakin smirked. "But most people who know nothing about Tuskens think he's merely eccentric."

"Weird…hey, this is your old house!" Kitster noticed. "What are you doing here?"

"Feeding my kid," Anakin joked.

_"(You have a kid?)"_ Wald gasped.

"You've spawned a child?" Kitster gaped.

"No," Anakin snorted. "He's just an orphan I found who's been following me around."

"Oh," Kitster blinked.

"Now be nice to him." Anakin commanded as he keyed the door. "He's had a rough time lately."

_"(Don't worry, we will.)"_ Wald assured him.

"Good," Anakin sighed as the door opened. "Hey, I'm back!" He called into the dim, dusty hovel.

There was a faint scrabbling sound and Zett hurriedly stumbled into view. "Master!" He cried in relief.

Anakin felt like smashing his head into something solid, repeatedly. "What did I say about calling me that?"

"Uh…oops?" Zett gulped.

"Why is he calling you master?" Kitster demanded suspiciously, his eyes suddenly narrowed.

"It's a cultural thing of his," Anakin hurriedly explained. "He's not a slave and I sure as hell don't own him."

Kitster and Wald looked anything but convinced. He could feel disgust and betrayal rolling off the two of them. They started to back away.

"Here," Anakin sighed, deciding to take a slight risk. He reached inside his jacket and pulled his lightsaber out of the inside pocket. "_This_ is why he calls me Master."

_"(Is that…is that a Jedi laser sword?)"_ Wald gawked in awe.

"How did you get it?" Kitster frowned.

"I built it myself." Anakin answered, tucking it back into its pocket.

"You built it? But…how?" Kitster blinked. "Don't the Jedi keep the technical plans for those super secret?"

"Yep," Anakin replied.

_"(So how did you build it?)"_ Wald asked.

"A friend of mine told me." Anakin shrugged. "Here," he passed the bag of take-out to Zett, "take what you want."

"A friend of yours?" Kitster repeated.

"Mm-hm," Anakin nodded.

Zett peered into the bag curiously. "Master Kenobi taught him." He explained. It seemed that he'd taken Anakin's brief display of his lightsaber to Kitster and Wald to mean that they could be trusted to know anything and everything.

_"Master Kenobi?"_ Wald buzzed, his tapered snout distorting the name.

"Yes, he's one of the best Jedi Masters in the entire Order." Zett continued as he peeked in a little container at some cooked rice dish. "He was the first Jedi to kill a Sith in a millennia and he's fought enemies like Count Dooku and General Grievous and lived to tell about it. _And_ he's an important member of the High Jedi Council."

"Oh," Kitster blinked. He wasn't terribly impressed, but he had no idea of the significance of half of what Zett had just said.

"Is there anything it there that you want?" Anakin asked after he watched Zett look over everything.

"Um, yes," Zett decided, selecting a few of the little containers and retreating inside to eat the contents at the table.

_"(What a picky kid.)"_ Wald snorted.

"He can't help it," Anakin shrugged, opening one of the leftover containers and eating the cooked strips of Dewback meat inside it with his bare fingers. "He's lived a mostly sheltered life up to this point. But thanks to the Emperor, he's now on the street with me." He scowled.

Kitster looked thoughtful for a minute. "What do you mean, you're on the street? Did that weird rich guy who bought you off Watto die or something?"

"He's dead now." Anakin replied, licking some extra sauce off his fingers.

_"(When did he die?)"_ Wald inquired, curiously flicking his antennae.

"Oh, just over four months ago." Anakin muttered. "Haven't worked for him for _years_ though."

"What, did he free you?" Kitster asked skeptically.

"No," Anakin snorted, "like that jerk would ever do anything so nice for me."

Kitster and Wald stared blankly at him. They were puzzled at how he could not be working for the Count, yet wasn't freed. Kitster scratched at his head while he thought.

"Did he sell you?" Kitster guessed.

"No, he'd never sell me." Anakin frowned. "He'd never be so kind."

_"(Then…)"_ Wald tilted his head in confusion. _"(You're not making any sense, Ani.)"_

"Master?" Zett squeaked faintly.

Anakin turned around to see that Zett he come back down to the doorway. He looked very confused and a little pale. Apparently he'd overhead some of the conversation…

_Oh crap._ "Yes?" Anakin prompted.

"You…you were…?" Zett stuttered.

"Yes, I was." Anakin sighed, feeling the beginnings of a headache. "We'll talk about it later."

Zett mutely turned and disappeared back inside. Anakin pressed at his head in dread of the migraine that he was sure to suffer shortly. He wasn't at all looking forward to explaining any of what he was probably going to have to.

_"(He doesn't know that you're a slave?)"_ Wald asked in surprise.

"No, he doesn't know that I was a slave." Anakin sighed.

"Anakin, if you weren't freed or sold, how can you still not be a slave?" Kitster frowned.

"I ran away," Anakin replied.

They both gaped at him in utter disbelief. Running away was impossible, the hidden slave devices made sure of that. No slave knew where their implant was so they had no way to disable it. Escape was impossible. Any attempt meant certain death.

"I'll see you guys later," Anakin muttered, gathering up the supplies he'd bought. "I have some explaining to do…"


	7. 6: The Unexpected Student

**Chapter 6**  
_The Unexpected Student_

Zett huddled up on the tiny shelf-like bed in the tiny dusty room that Knight Skywalker had brought him. Or whoever he was. He wasn't sure anymore.

After the strange Human and Rodian left, Knight Skywalker joined him up at the table. He ate silently and seemed oblivious to Zett's questioning gaze. Only when he finished eating his fill did he turn to the Padawan and explain what he'd overheard.

Apparently Knight Skywalker had spent most of his early life as a slave on Tatooine. When he was thirteen a rich Human aristocrat came to the desert planet and purchased him, cruelly separating him from his mother and friends. And when he asked who had bought him, Knight Skywalker very reluctantly informed him that it had been Count Dooku.

He could only stare at the man in confused horror. Knight Skywalker hurriedly explained that he'd never been loyal to the Sith Lord and had risked his life to escape the former Jedi's grasp. But he'd still been under Darth Tyranus' sway for around two years.

"_Once you start down the Dark Path, forever will it dominate your destiny…"_

Master Yoda's ancient teachings echoed in his brain as he lay in the dark. Knight Skywalker was once of the Dark Side. He'd admitted as much, claiming that the Count had begun his training in the Force with a focus on the Dark Arts. He had even used his future Sith name, Vader, as the alias he lived under during the majority of his time among the Jedi.

_What do I do?_ Zett wondered with a shaky sigh. _I'm too young to be on my own. But can I trust him to help me?_

Memories of his experiences on Jabiim flickered around in the back of his mind. The helpful guidance he'd received when he'd struggled with him homework. The kindness and patience he'd been shown when he grieved and suffered his Master's death.

And more recently there was the rescue from certain death. Twice. First in the Temple, and later in the warehouse.

While he claimed contact with the Dark Side, his actions simply didn't reflect that. A Sith would not help him and comfort him when he was crushed by his Master's death. A Sith would not save him when he was being shot by clones. A Sith would not sneak him out of that warehouse and take him off-planet to some place safer. If Knight Skywalker really had been immersed in the Dark Side, Zett would've been dead several times over by now.

Yet Zett had sensed no hint of deception in the Knight when he was speaking of his involvement with the Sith apprentice. He had to be speaking the truth. Everything he said had to be true.

Zett squirmed uncomfortably at that idea. Because that meant that not only was Knight Skywalker a Darksider, it meant that the Jedi Council had let him in, helped hide him, lied for him. And that thought rocked his world just as much as the massacre at the Temple had.

The High Jedi Council was made up of the twelve wisest, most powerful Jedi Masters in the entire Order. They were brave, intelligent, and honest. They had to be to guide the entire Order and make important decisions on everyone's behalf. And yet they had done _this_?

_I don't know what to think anymore…_

_

* * *

_

Anakin sat on the back steps of his old hovel, resting his chin on his hands and staring blankly out at the desert landscape. It was very early, so early that it was still dark out and most of the billions of stars were still visible. The only hint that morning was coming was the faint gray smudge on the distant horizon.

Sleep had eluded him most of the night. He'd grown tired of chasing it and had given up. So now he was out here whiling away the time.

He closed his eyes and sighed, his breath condensing into a faint misty cloud in front of his face. It was cold now, the suns weren't up yet and the dry air couldn't hold heat very well. But he ignored the chilly air and focused on his task.

Diving deep into the currents of the Force, he reached outward, searching. He sought a bright spark of a Force signature, a Force-sensitive being. Hopefully it would be the eccentric A'Sharad Hett or some other fugitive Jedi.

_Come out, come out wherever you are…_

_

* * *

_

Zett snapped his eyes open and sat up. He must've fallen asleep at some point, because he'd just woken up. He rubbed at his gritty eyes and wondered what had made him awaken. It certainly wasn't another nightmare's fault.

Closing his eyes and focusing, he tried to sense what had disturbed his sleep. The instant his scan made it outside the hovel, he fell out of bed. He blinked dazedly up at the ceiling, surprised not to have been left blind.

The Force presence he'd stumbled across had been so bright and intense to his 'sight' it had been like being sucked into the heart of a supernova. Well, perhaps he was exaggerating, but only because he hadn't expected to find such a blindingly bright signature so close by. He certainly couldn't recall ever meeting a Jedi with such blazing Light.

Gnawing at his lip indecisively for a minute, he got up from the floor and traced the signature to its source. Carefully picking his way through the small dark building, he sneezed when he accidentally kicked up a rather large cloud of dust. Shaking his head and covering his face with his arm, he stumbled out the back door and looked around.

The sky was a flat deep gray. Only the closest and brightest stars remained visible and there was a thick silver line at the horizon where the binary suns would rise. And Knight Skywalker sat just a few feet away on the steps, apparently meditating.

Zett gaped at him. _That light was **him**?_ It didn't seem possible, but a quick check confirmed it for him beyond any doubt.

"Did I wake you?" Knight Skywalker spoke suddenly.

"Yes," Zett squeaked in surprise.

"Sorry," Knight Skywalker sighed.

"It's okay," Zett gulped nervously. "Um, what were you doing?"

"Trying to track down Hett," Knight Skywalker replied. "But if he's here, he's hiding very well."

"Oh," Zett mumbled. "Um, why are you looking for him anyway?" He asked anxiously.

"He's the only Jedi where I'm pretty sure that I know where he's going, and you need someone to look after you long-term." Knight Skywalker explained.

Zett frowned, momentarily confused. "Long-term? I'm…I'm not to stay with you?" He asked slowly.

Despite all the shocking things he'd learned the previous night, the idea that he was being shuffled off to someone else stung. After Master Unill's death, he'd been passed from one temporary guardian to another. No Master had selected him to be their Padawan. Some found him too old, others, especially those neck-deep in the war, found him too young, and most simply weren't looking for a student as they were too busy to bother with one.

"No," Knight Skywalker shook his head, staring at the rapidly lightening horizon.

"But why?" Zett swallowed.

The Knight slowly turned to face him. "Do you honestly wish to stay with me after all that you've heard?"

Zett pondered this question for a long time. On the one hand, all his teaching taught him that Knight Skywalker was not to be trusted and should be avoided at all costs. But on the other hand there was all that he knew and had experienced of the man.

"Yes," Zett answered, surprising himself a little at his decision.

Knight Skywalker gaped at him a bit. "Seriously?"

"Yes," Zett nodded firmly, displaying a confidence he didn't entirely feel. _At least I think so…_

"Why?" The Knight frowned in confusion.

"I…" Zett paused to try and decide what to say. "I'm tired of being sent off to other people and…you're nice."

The Knight looked away, a slightly troubled look on his face.

Rays of light burst over the horizon and the sky blazed with pastel color as a yellow sun rose over the rolling sand dunes. Zett watched it, fascinated. It looked so different than what he'd always seen on Coruscant. There were no silver spires of buildings that got in the way here.

"I can't keep you," Knight Skywalker said at last. "You deserve someone who can teach and guide you. I can't do that."

"Why not?" Zett frowned. "You know the Jedi ways perfectly, I never thought you weren't a Jedi until you told me so, and even then it was hard to believe. You can teach me just fine."

"You flatter me unfairly," the Knight snorted.

"No I'm not," Zett insisted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, competence aside, if the others find out my hidden nature, and they surely will at some point, you'll be cast out and shunned for being my student." Knight Skywalker sighed. "You're a good kid, you don't deserve such a lonely fate."

Zett shifted nervously from foot to foot. He hadn't considered that. But the possibility seemed so very remote…

"But I want to stay with you." Zett replied helplessly. "I want to stay with you Master."

"Quit calling me Master." The Knight grumbled.

Zett briefly considered calling him Master again, just to irritate him, but he didn't. His good manners had been drilled deeply into him by the crèche Masters from his earliest days on. He couldn't bring himself to be purposely rude to someone unless he was very, very upset.

He stared off at the horizon and watched in wonder as a second sun began to rise just behind the first. The play of light and color from the dual sunrise was beyond anything he'd ever seen before. It was just enough to take his mind off things for a while.

"Tatooine is a miserable planet," Knight Skywalker muttered to no one in particular. "It only has three redeeming qualities: the sunrise, the sunset, and the starry night sky. The rest of it, I don't miss at all."

The Knight stared at the beautiful view for a few minutes longer before standing up and turning to go inside. "Come on, it's time to move on."

"Where are we going now?" Zett asked warily.

"Out past Anchorhead to the Lars moisture farm." Knight Skywalker replied.

"Moisture farm?" Zett blinked.

"This entire planet is a desert. The only way to get any water is to collect it from the atmosphere with water plants and moisture farms." The Knight explained.

"So why are we going there?" Zett inquired.

"That's where my mother lives." Knight Skywalker told him.

Zett was startled by this answer. Jedi rarely spoke of their families. Most had little to no idea about their families. And now he was suddenly going to meet Knight Skywalker's mother.

_

* * *

_

Anakin tapped nervously on the steering yoke of the rented speeder as it zipped over the monotonous desert landscape. It had been a long drive, longer since he'd decided to go back to Mos Espa instead of the small town of Anchorhead. Now, after doubling back past Mos Eisley, he'd just passed the little farming community and was less than ten minutes away from his goal.

He was nervous about going back. The last time he'd been at the Lars homestead, he'd come to rescue his mother and then he'd left immediately after finding out that she would be okay. After his abrupt and rude departure, he had no idea how he'd be received.

All too soon the dunes opened up to a broad flat expanse of packed sand. Roughly in the middle of that were a few small domed structures, the above-ground portions of the Lars moisture farm. The parts of the buildings that were under the sands were much larger and more spacious than what the surface sections would suggest to the casual observer.

Swallowing hard, he slowed down as he approached and swung around to the opening of the garage. Landing the landspeeder just beside the closed doors, he hopped out and helped the still slightly lame Zett out of the passenger seat. He gathered up their bags and stared at the garage doors, trying to decide whether to go in that way, or try the front door.

The choice was suddenly taken out of his hands as the garage doors split open on their own. He tensed nervously as the heavy, sand-scoured doors slowly ground open. And then a grimy protocol droid and an Astromech came out of the shadows, moving a hover-cart of machinery with them.

"Hurry along Arfour," the protocol droid fussed in a familiar prissy voice. "Master Cliegg is waiting for us."

The Astromech unit, and R4 model, was equally familiar. The green and gray cylindrical droid warbled some sort of assent and dutifully tried to hurry up. Anakin recognized the Astrodroid as R4-P44, the droid he'd sent here with his Eta-2 starfighter for storage.

"Hey Threepio! Hey Petey!" Anakin grinned cheerfully.

Petey, the R4 unit, squealed in joyous surprise.

"Oh my!" Threepio gasped, throwing his metal hands up in surprise. "I'm sorry sir, but do I know you?"

_Ah, I've been gone too long,_ Anakin sighed and scratched at his itchy little beard. "Aw Threepio, you're hurting my feelings here!" He teased. "You don't recognize your own Maker?"

"Master Ani?" Threepio gasped. "Oh the Maker!"

"Yeah, I'm back," Anakin chuckled.

"Master Ani, after you left we all feared you'd never come back!" Threepio worried.

"Of course I was going to come back. I'm here aren't I?" Anakin snorted. "Hey Threepio, is my mother around?" He asked anxiously.

"Oh yes, Mistress Shmi is in the kitchen with Mistress Beru making lunch." Threepio helpfully replied. "Should I tell her that you're arrived?"

"No, that's alright, you have other things to be doing." Anakin reminded them. "Now hurry up and don't keep Cliegg waiting."

"Oh-oh yes, come along Arfour." Threepio ordered.

Petey whistled agreeably and the two droids continued on their way, presumably with supplies that would help Cliegg repair some piece of machinery.

Anakin smiled as he watched them go. Then his smile faded as he was brought back to the present situation. It was time to say hi to Mom.

Gathering his nerve, he went into the dim garage with Zett following at his heels. Anakin picked his way through the clutter of the garage, noting a small space where his Eta-2 sat, mostly covered by a cloth tarp. And then he left the garage for the rest of the underground dwelling.

It didn't take very long to find the kitchen. All he had to do was follow the faint smell of cooking food. He paused in the doorway of the warm kitchen and studied the two women who were bustling about within.

The younger woman, a pretty blonde, he vaguely recalled as Beru. She was his step-brother Owen's girlfriend and her presence implied that they were still going out with each other. Perhaps they were even engaged at this point, having been together for several years.

The older woman he immediately recognized as his Mom. Her dark hair was roughly half gray now and many of the fine lines around the corners of her eyes and mouth had deepened into true wrinkles. But he didn't see how she'd aged since he'd last lived with her. All he saw was his Mom.

And then she turned and caught sight of him standing there, frozen in the doorway. She yelped in shock at seeing a strange mad suddenly in her house. Anakin cringed and almost lost his nerve. But he was an adult now; he couldn't run away from his own mother.

"Hi Mom," he waved sheepishly with a weak grin.

She looked utterly confused for a moment. Then her jaw hit the floor as she gaped at him. She stood very still for a minute, staring at him in disbelief, and then she rushed over to enthusiastically embrace him.

Anakin stumbled backwards a step from the force of her impact. He gladly hugged her back, patting her shoulders comfortingly. He felt home.

"Ani!" His Mom cried into his shoulder. "My little Ani…"

"Hi Mom," he repeated, giving her a good squeeze. "What's for lunch?"

She laughed a strained sort of laugh that told him she was trying very hard not to cry. "You're still the same, always hungry."

"Well, not always," Anakin corrected, "just a lot of the time."

"Oh," she sighed, pulling back, "let me see you."

Anakin stiffened nervously as his mother launched into an in-depth inspection of his person. Her joy at seeing him again almost immediately evaporated upon seeing his face. Frowning, she reached up and traced the vertical scar that ran along his right temple.

"Ani, what happened to your face?" She asked worriedly.

"It's nothing Mom," he swallowed. "Hey look," he directed her gaze to Zett, who was watching silently from a few steps away, "I brought a friend with me."

His mother blinked rapidly in surprise. "Oh, hello. What's your name?"

"Zett Jukassa," Zett answered quietly.

"Ah," she nodded, then squinted at him. "How old are you?"

"I'm ten Standard years old," Zett replied.

"You're only ten?" She frowned.

"Yes ma'am," Zett nodded politely.

"What are you doing away from home?" Her frown deepened.

"I don't have a home anymore." Zett informed her.

"Where is your family?" His mother asked, looking worried.

"They're dead." Zett said without any emotion.

"Oh I-I'm so sorry," she stammered, startled by his unexpected answer.

"It's alright," Zett shrugged, looking away uncomfortably.

A tense silence began to form and Anakin found it his duty to dispel it. "So when's lunch?"

"Hm?" His mother blinked. "Oh, just under a half an hour."

Anakin nodded. "Any place we can put our bags?" He asked curiously.

"Of course," she nodded. "Beru, take them to the spare room please?"

Beru, who'd been standing almost invisibly in the kitchen, nodded and led them to a spare bedroom. Once they were there, she returned to the kitchen and fixing lunch, leaving the two of them alone. Anakin put their two bags on the bed and looked around curiously at the plain, undecorated room.

"You lived here, Master?" Zett asked.

"No, I never lived here," Anakin sighed. "I visited once though." He settled down on the bed and glanced at Zett. "How is your leg feeling?"

"Better," Zett replied, also taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

Silence fell between them as they sat there. If Zett had any more questions, he was keeping them to himself. And Anakin couldn't really think of anything to say.

It was strange being back here. His last visit had been during a dark time, when his mother had been kidnapped by Tusken Raiders and Cliegg Lars had been gravely wounded trying to recover her. But now, things seemed happier, more normal. It was like visiting a completely different place.

_I wish I came back here sooner,_ Anakin decided. _Tatooine is a miserable planet, but this place is alright. It's where Mom is. It's where home is…_

_

* * *

_

Zett huddled in a small patch of shadow in the circular sunken courtyard. It was an odd structure, he decided. It was an artificial crater in the middle of the desert and formed the central hub of the Lars homestead. Every room and building was connected at this point.

Even in the shade it was hot. He'd peeled his jacket off and yanked off his hat and now he was thinking of taking his shirt off too. And it wasn't even noon yet, it was only going to get hotter.

Swallowing a moan, he closed his eyes and tried to meditate. He really hadn't practiced it nearly as much as he should've, and now was a good time to remedy that problem. And he didn't have anything better to do at the moment anyway.

The Force was quiet here, he discovered. Despite the barrenness he saw in the landscape, there was life in this desert planet, just not very much. And so the Force was quiet, calm, peaceful.

Coruscant was a crowded, bustling place. Something was always happening somewhere. The Force was loud there with all the life and activity, and even the thick walls of the Temple weren't a good enough shield to keep the chaos outside.

Here on Tatooine there was no such problem. People and animals were few and far between. And that left the Force clear of the cluttered chaos he was used to on Coruscant.

"Are you alright?" A soft voice asked.

Zett opened his eyes to see Beru, the blonde lady from the kitchen, standing in front of him. "Yes," he nodded.

"Why are you out here all by yourself?" Beru asked.

"I don't want to be in the way," Zett replied.

After lunch, everyone seemed so busy. Two men who had been out working, Owen and Cliegg Lars, had come in to eat and then stolen away Master Skywalker to help them fix machinery. And Knight Skywalker's mother and Beru flitted around the house, cleaning and chatting away. Feeling like a distinct outsider, he'd retreated outside, which is where he was now.

"You're not in the way," Beru hurriedly reassured him. "Come inside, it's too hot out here, especially for someone who isn't used to it."

"Yes ma'am," Zett agreed and got up, gathering his discarded clothing.

Beru looked at him oddly and then reached over to finger his Padawan braid. "Anakin had a braid like this the last time he was here," she commented.

Zett backed away a step, freeing his braid from her grasp. "When was he last here?" He asked in mild curiosity.

"Several years ago," Beru told him as she led him back indoors where it was slightly cooler. "It was around a month before that terrible war started in the Republic, I think."

"Oh," Zett mumbled, hissing in pain when he stumbled and jarred his injured leg.

"What's wrong?" Beru asked with concern.

"Nothing," Zett shrugged, though he was limping more obviously now.

"You're limping," Beru frowned.

"I was shot a while ago," Zett shrugged again. "It's almost all healed now."

"You were shot?" Beru gasped in shock.

"Yes," Zett nodded uncomfortably.

Beru took him by his shoulders and guided him to a nearby couch. "Let me see it." She ordered.

Reluctantly, Zett removed his pants so that she could see his injury. It was only lightly wrapped in gauze now to keep the fabric of his trousers from rubbing against the tender healing skin and keep the area as sterile as possible. Beru undid the gauze dressing and inspected the wound with a critical, concerned eye.

"Who shot you?" Beru demanded quietly.

"Clone troopers did." Zett replied nervously. After he'd spoken so freely to Knight Skywalker's old friends, the man had warned him against doing that. So he wasn't sure of what he was and wasn't allowed to say to this woman.

"Why?" Beru asked, frowning.

"Beru are you – oh my goodness!" Knight Skywalker's mother gasped as she entered the room with a cleaning rag in her hand and saw Zett's leg. "What happened?"

"He says that clone troopers shot him." Beru replied, rewrapping the healing wound.

"Why?" Knight Skywalker's mother asked, echoing Beru's question.

"Because," Zett cast his eyes down into his lap, "I…I was training to be a Jedi."

Both women fell totally silent. Zett cringed and didn't look up. He didn't have to. Their shock and horror at his admission was easy enough for him to feel. He shouldn't have answered them. Knight Skywalker would not be pleased.

"Did they know how young you were when they shot you?" Knight Skywalker's mother asked after several minutes.

"I don't know," Zett shrugged. "I don't think it mattered. They just came and shot everyone, even kids younger than me."

Their feelings of horror only increased.

"How did you escape?" Beru asked softly.

"I ran," Zett answered. "But they shot me and they were going to kill me. And then Master Skywalker came and helped me." _Wait…he doesn't want me calling him 'Master'…should I have called him Mister Skywalker instead?_

A gentle hand slid under his chin and forced him to look up into Knight Skywalker's mother's dark grayish eyes. "_Master_ Skywalker?"

_Yeah, should've gone with **Mister** Skywalker._ "Um…" Zett gulped nervously.

"Hey Mom?" One of the men, probably Owen, called down from outside.

Knight Skywalker's mother sighed and turned her head to yell back. "What is it?"

"Does Anakin usually give Tusken Raiders hugs?" Owen shouted down to them.

"_What?_" Both women yelped in shock.

They didn't wait for any clarifications from Owen. The two of them jumped up and scrambled out of the common room and outside to see for themselves. Zett sighed in relief now that he was free of Knight Skywalker's mother's piercing gaze and pulled his pants back on.

He followed the two women at a more leisurely pace so as not to aggravate his sore leg. There was no need to hurry. He sensed no danger and he was certain he could pick up if Knight Skywalker needed his help. And he didn't see what was so bad about Tusken Raiders anyway. He had no idea what they were.

When he got back up to the surface, he saw everyone was there, even the protocol droid and Astrodroid he'd seen when he first came here with Knight Skywalker. They were all clustered into two groups, the moisture farmers and protocol droid on one side and Knight Skywalker, the Astromech, and another being on the other. Zett flinched as he sensed a rising tenseness in the air around them.

The other being that stood by Knight Skywalker looked very alien to his eyes. It was completely covered in sandy brown robes and dirty rags. Its head was all spiky and wrapped in more rags, disguising whatever was underneath completely. Concentrating slightly, Zett could tell that whatever it was, it was Force-sensitive.

"He's not _really_ a Tusken Raider." Knight Skywalker told the others in annoyance. "Do you really think I'd give a real Sandperson a hug like that?"

"Real or not, if he dresses like that he isn't welcome here." Cliegg declared gruffly, his expression one of barely contained anger.

"That's fine, I wasn't going to take him inside anyway." Knight Skywalker replied. "Let's go for a walk," he told the strange creature.

"Of course," the creature replied in a muffled voice and obligingly followed Knight Skywalker away from the homestead.

The farmers watched them walk away in silence. Owen and Cliegg looked angry and upset. Knight Skywalker's mother and Beru looked upset and afraid. And the droids didn't look any different than they usually did, yet they somehow managed to convey a sense of worry.

Zett hesitated in the shady doorway before slowly limping towards them. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing." Beru smiled falsely, lying through her teeth. "Come on, let's go back inside."

"Alright," Zett agreed, letting the blonde woman guide him back inside. "Why were you all so worried about the Sandperson?"

"Tusken Raiders are a dangerous bunch." Beru muttered as she hurried him inside. "They're native here and aren't keen on sharing anything. They attack isolated farms like this one and damage machinery and kill people if they can. Once they even kidnapped Mom, nearly killed her, and killed many of the farmers who went to try and rescue her. They're a terrible people and most folks around here see them as little more than vicious monsters that walk like men."

_And Master Skywalker wanted me to go with a man that likes these Tusken Raiders so much that he dresses like them and lives among them?_ Zett frowned worriedly. _I don't think I like this Knight Hett…_

_

* * *

_

Anakin felt like banging his head against a moisture 'vaporator in sheer frustration as he trudged back to the homestead. His talk with Hett had been unpleasant to say the least. And it left him with a sticky situation.

Hett had flatly refused to take Zett on as a Padawan. He refused to even play temporary guardian. The Tusken wannabe wasn't interested in any Padawan at all, and if he did want one, he wanted one that he chose himself.

The Knight was being unreasonable. With the state that the Order was in, he shouldn't be turning aside any potential student, certainly not one as qualified as Zett was, having been a Padawan already. Yet he was as stubborn as the Tusken he wished to be on the issue and no matter what Anakin said, he would not budge.

Anakin wanted to strangle A'Sharad, but that wouldn't make things any better for him if he did. So he waved the false Tusken a stiff farewell and left before his frustrations got the better of him. And now he was left with the same problem he'd had before: what to do with Zett?

Scowling, he slunk into the garage to hopefully avoid running into anyone and blindly tackled the pile of broken equipment that was stored there. He needed the soothing action of fixing and sorting to help him clear his mind and think of a new solution. Also it was a good way to help out and do some serious work while he was here. It was good to feel productive sometimes.

He quickly lost track of time as he immersed himself in the familiar mode of repairing broken parts. It was a sort of moving meditation, something that Obi-Wan disliked and so hadn't taught him much of other than the fact that it existed. But Anakin didn't think he needed much training in it, he thought he was a natural.

"Ani, it's almost dinnertime." His mother said, appearing at his side suddenly.

"Really?" He blinked in surprise.

"Yes, you've been in here for hours." She sighed. "What did your…friend…say?"

"He's not really my friend, just an acquaintance." Anakin muttered as he continued to tinker. "And he didn't say anything that I wanted to hear."

"Oh?" His Mom prompted curiously.

"I was looking for him so that he could take on Zett, but he's being a stubborn idiot and a jerk." Anakin growled, tightening a bolt a little harder than necessary.

"You want to leave a child in the care of a Tusken Raider?" She asked incredulously.

"He's not really a Tusken Raider," Anakin sighed. "He's just a very, very strange Human underneath all those rags."

"Still…" She frowned.

"Well I can't keep him," Anakin scowled, wiping his left hand free of excess grease with a dirty rag. "Mr. Tusken there was a Jedi Knight and Zett is a Jedi apprentice. He needs an older Jedi to mentor and care for him and I was hoping that A'Sharad would take him on as a student. But he's being ridiculously picky, didn't even want to look at Zett." He sighed deeply in frustration.

"Ani, why did Zett call you Master Skywalker?" She asked after a moment.

_Ugh…_ "It's a habit all Jedi apprentices have, they refer to anyone they see as an adult as 'Master.'" He explained.

"Oh," she paused and used the corner of her apron to rub a smudge of grease off his cheek. "He said that you saved him from Imperial troops."

_I really should have a long talk with him about what he can say to who…_ "Yes, I did." He nodded. "Twice, actually." The instant that slipped out, he mentally kicked himself.

"Really?" She inquired curiously.

"Yeah," he shrugged nervously. "And now I get to help him find another Jedi."

"That's very good of you, Ani." She smiled. Taking his face in her weathered hands, she studied his face curiously. "What's with this beard?"

"It's, um, an experiment." Anakin blushed. "Do you think it looks good?"

"It looks…different." She decided. "Different from the last time I saw you. What happened to that little braid that you had?"

"It got cut off," he shrugged.

"Oh. So, is it just a coincidence that Zett has a braid just like your old one?" She asked, her tone and expression completely neutral.

Anakin felt like dying. "Um, no…" He said slowly.

He didn't dare lie to his mother. She could always tell when he was lying. It was like she as a Jedi herself. She raised a questioning eyebrow and he felt her demand that he continue.

"That braid is the traditional symbol of a Jedi apprentice." He explained reluctantly.

Her eyes widened. "Ani…you…"

"Got caught up with the Jedi? Yeah." He sheepishly admitted.

Her shocked expression slowly melted into one of pride and mild awe. She embraced him tightly and he could feel her strong emotions all the clearer. It was starting to choke him up a bit.

"I missed you, Mom." He swallowed.

"I missed you too, Ani." She whispered. "And I'm very proud of you." She patted his back and reluctantly released him. "Now come and clean up for dinner."

Anakin gave her his famous little half-smile. "Yes mother."

_

* * *

_

Zett sat outside, staring up at the Tatooinian night sky. There were three moons, all nearly full, and more stars than he'd ever seen before in his life. Without the heat of the binary suns, it was now surprisingly cold out, cold enough to see his breath. But he didn't think much of the impressive sky or chilly air.

Watching Knight Skywalker interact with his family had brought up some memories. Well, not really memories, more like visions. But whatever they were, they left him feeling…uncomfortable.

Like all other Jedi children, he had been taken from his parents as an infant. Yet, unlike the other children, he still had impression from the family that he'd left. He would dream of a man and a woman who smiled at him, whispered soothingly to him, held him close and lovingly.

No other children had such dreams and he himself didn't understand what they were. But he treasured them anyway, taking comfort from the warm feelings they brought him. Then everything changed.

When he turned seven, his dreams changed. A vague feeling of unease plagued him during his waking hours, and when he slept, he dreamed of a world he'd never been, people he'd never met, and the man and the woman were dead. Deeply disturbed, he'd approached his Care Masters about it and they had merely advised him that such dreams would pass in time.

Later, a Jedi Knight, Mierme Unill, came to him to ask him about his dreams. The Knight was investigating the murder of ore traders on a world named Mon Gazza and images of the crime scene that he showed Zett looked exactly like the death scene that haunted him in his dreams. Zett was profoundly disturbed by this, but did his best to answer the Knight's questions.

Knight Unill then secured permission for him to research his own past so that he could hopefully make more sense from his dreams and perhaps help solve the murder. With the help of head Archivist, Jocasta Nu, Zett had read his records and done some research on Mon Gazza. That led to some interesting discoveries.

For one thing, his birth name was not Zett Jukassa. He had actually been born Warpoc Skamini, and his name had been changed at his parent's request so that he could have a completely fresh start in the Temple without having any ties to his old life and family. His parents were Sembric Skamini and Ashielle Skamini, proprietors of an ore prospecting launch base on Mon Gazza.

Sembric and Ashielle Skamini were the victims of the murder that Knight Unill was investigating. Zett's parents were dead and he would never meet them. Despite being a Jedi, detached from the outside world beyond the Temple, this realization still had some surprising sting behind it.

Using his hazy memories and visions, Knight Unill soon solved the murder. Vicious extortionists and members of the criminal organization Black Sun were the guilty party. And the Knight quickly tracked them down and arrested them.

Zett's early work with Knight Unill was what won him his position as Unill's Padawan. The Knight was impressed with how well he handled being involved with such a violent crime at his young age, especially with the added complication that the victims were his own parents. And so the Knight had chosen Zett to be his student.

Part of the reason of how he'd been able to handle the investigation so well was that, despite the fact he knew his parents were now dead; he had no connection to them beyond his hazy dreams. He had no clear recollections of what it was like to be with his parents. He didn't know what it was like to be part of a family.

Now he'd seen it. Even though Knight Skywalker was grown, his mother still loved him dearly and he still loved her back. There was a warmth there between all the people at the dinner table that he could almost see with his eyes as a physical thing. And he wasn't included in it.

He found himself aching for something like that. He wanted it desperately. But with all his friends, teachers, his Master, and his parents dead, he knew he would never feel anything like that.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he buried his face in his knees and hugged his legs to his chest. He tried to release his pain and turmoil into the Force and find peace, but it didn't seem to want to leave him. He wished his Master was here to help him. But Master Mierme was long-dead now.

"It's not safe to be out here when it's dark." Knight Skywalker said softly as he sat down beside him. "Tusken warriors roam at will at night and they won't hesitate to kill you if they think they can."

"Oh," Zett mumbled dully.

"Feeling lonely?" The Knight asked.

"Yes," Zett admitted.

"Do you want to talk?" Knight Skywalker asked. "Or do you just want to go to bed?"

"I'll go to bed," Zett sighed after thinking about it for a moment.

"Alright," The Knight nodded and offered him a hand up.

Zett followed the man back inside to the guest room where they were staying. The Knight had the bed in the room while a small spare mattress and pile of sheets was laid out nearby on the floor for him. Knight Skywalker sat on his own bed and began to meditate. After peeling off his shoes and shirt, he crawled into the little makeshift bed and tried to sleep.

Sleep escaped him though. He wasn't very tired yet and thousands of potential nightmares loomed in the back of his subconscious, waiting to strike. Shivering slightly, he pulled the sheets over his head and tried to meditate his way into sleep. And, eventually, that did the trick.

_

* * *

_

Anakin ended his meditations sometime around midnight with a heavy sigh. While meditation was used primarily to clear and re-center the mind, it could also be used to think out an important decision. That was what he had been doing, and the answer it brought him to left him rather uncomfortable.

After dinner, his mother had taken him aside for the stated purpose of helping to wash the dishes. What she'd really been after had been revealed when they were left alone in the kitchen together. She wished to discuss the fate of the boy he'd brought with him.

She offered to take the boy in, adopt him as one of her own and give him a home here. She'd already spoken with Cliegg, Owen, and Beru separately and they were fine with the idea, even a little excited. Zett could stay here and have a normal, mostly peaceful life without fear of being hunted by the Empire. But then he would never become a Jedi.

He told her it was up to Zett himself what he wanted. He'd make the offer, but he wasn't sure that Zett would go along with it. His mother hadn't been very happy about it, but she accepted his answer.

But what was he supposed to do with the boy? He needed a guardian, a Jedi mentor, and A'Sharad Hett wasn't interested. He couldn't keep dragging the child around in search of another Jedi forever…

A muffled whimpering sound caught his attention and peered down towards the floor. Through the darkness, he could vaguely see Zett squirming around on his little makeshift bed. Distress and fear rolled off him in thick chilly waves.

_Poor kid,_ Anakin sighed, sliding down to the floor beside him. _Nightmares suck…_

He placed a hand over the boy's forehead and gently began to influence him. Sending him calming sensations, he reached through the child's cracked shields and worked to stop the horrifying images that swirled about there. It was tricky, but he managed to block most of the memories of attacking clone troops and a dying Alderaanian man in a few short minutes.

But despite his efforts, a sudden old memory slipped past and jolted the boy awake. Anakin caught only a brief glimpse of it, though that was more than enough to bother him. What was the boy doing with the memory of a grisly murder?

"Are you alright?" He asked Zett softly.

"Yeah," Zett panted, his voice wavering.

Anakin sat silently until he felt that Zett had calmed down. "My mother has taken a liking to you, they all have." He began carefully. "She's offered to let you stay here if you want."

"What?" Zett choked in surprise.

"You can stay here if you want." Anakin repeated. "You wouldn't have to run all over the galaxy anymore. You could go to school with other children your age. And you wouldn't have to worry about the Empire hunting you. I don't think they'll ever come out here, there's not anything here that they want."

Zett went thoughtful. "That…sounds nice." He mumbled.

"But if you stay, unless Hett changes his mind, you will not become a Jedi." Anakin warned.

"How long do I have to decide?" Zett asked after a few long minutes.

"A few days, at least," Anakin assured him. "But then I'll be leaving and it'll probably be a long time before I come back again."

"Oh," Zett swallowed nervously.

"Take your time," Anakin advised, "there's no rush."

"I want to be a Jedi," Zett said slowly after a moment. "It's all I ever wanted and I don't know how to be anything else. Staying here would be nice but…I'd get bored after a while." He admitted shamefully.

"Yeah, Tatooine is a rather boring place." Anakin agreed, laughing a little. "When I was young all I wanted was to get away from it."

Zett fiddled with the sheets as he thought. "I want to be a Jedi." He decided firmly.

"Alright," Anakin nodded. "Now you have another choice to make."

"I do?" Zett blinked.

Anakin had to gather his nerve before he could continue. "Yes, choose the teacher close at hand, or search for another."

Zett frowned at him in the dark. "What…?" And then it clicked in his head and he gaped at Anakin. "You want to be my Master?" He whispered, shocked.

"If you are prepared for whatever consequences there are, and if it's what you want, then yes." Anakin replied calmly, forcing back his own anxiety. "I can't promise that I'll be a good teacher, but I'll do my best for you. So what will it be…Padawan?"

The boy stared at him through the darkness, barely visible by the dim light that filtered in from the hallway. Anakin returned the incredulous gaze as calmly as he could, forcing himself not to squirm. And then he got his answer.

"Yes, yes Master." Zett nodded eagerly.

"Alright," Anakin smiled. "Go back to bed now, Padawan. We'll work out all the details in the morning."


	8. 7: Castle for the Queen

**Chapter 7**  
_Castle for the Queen_

Padmé gazed blurrily out the window at the first golden rays of the sunrise. She was normally an early riser, but only if she'd gotten a good night's sleep the previous night. However at this point she was having great difficulty remembering what it felt like to get a good night's sleep.

The reason for that (well, _one_ of the reasons) was contently suckling at her breast. Luke, being less than one year old, was completely focused on himself and had little concept, if any, of anything else. As far as he was concerned, the galaxy revolved around his stomach and the condition of his diaper.

The same went for the _other_ reason she hadn't slept through the night in months. Leia, Luke's twin sister, was even more trying than her brother. While Luke was a laid back baby, his sister was much pickier and fussier. She would whimper and squirm if Sabé tried to tend to her and she shrieked if Typho tried to touch her. Leia only behaved for Mommy, and even then only some of the time.

Thankfully Leia was still asleep, only her brother was awake now. And he was much easier to keep happy than his sister was. All he wanted was to be fed, have a clean diaper, and occasionally be held and cooed at.

Leia was much more demanding. On top of wanting a clean diaper and food, she demanded entertainment. She wanted to dance and sing with Mommy and listen to stories and watch little plays acted out with plush toys. So Leia was, of the two of them, the bigger drain on Padmé's energy.

_I love you baby, I do._ Padmé yawned and shifted Luke to her shoulder so she could burp him. _But I'd love you more if you'd let Mommy sleep a little more…_

_

* * *

_

Sabé yawned as she tended the frying Jixi eggs that cooked on the kitchen stove. Sleep, long restful sleep, was a distant memory now and oh how she missed it! But what she wished for, and what reality was, were two very different things.

Shaking her head, she continued to scramble the eggs in silence. Soon Padmé and Typho would be down for breakfast. Sabé had to eat before them and then look after whichever (or both) babies that was awake.

_Oh how life has changed,_ Sabé sighed. _When I was in school, I didn't think that I would ever leave Naboo. And **now** look at me._

Now, instead of living on Naboo, she lived on a world named Xendiir. It was a warm world, one of two capable of supporting life in the Verdant System. Verdant, the fourth planet in the system, was the heart of the system, a hub of trade with a high population. But Xendiir, the third planet, was much more sparsely populated than its sister planet, and it was the one that Padmé chose.

Xendiir was a haven for the rich and the eccentric. Those who lived here full time could be a head of a large company just as easily as they could be a basket weaver who had scratched and saved to buy land here and build a home. It was unique, civilized, isolated, and in the Outer Rim, far beyond the borders of the Empire. Just what Padmé was looking for.

Sabé had to admit that this was a beautiful planet. The area inhabited by Humans was mainly the many island chains in the tropical equator region. While the continents were populated by the native Xendiirans, primitive isolationists that wanted nothing to do with their alien neighbors. It almost brought to mind the old divisions between the Naboo and the Gungans back home…

The building Padmé chose to live in was most impressive and decidedly eccentric. It was originally built by an old rich family from Verdant generations ago and had been named 'Dannarak Castle' by the locals in honor of the family and because it looked like a castle. And not the modern kind of castle, like the royal palace in Theed or just outside Aldera. It was modeled after ancient, primitive castles.

Built from dull gray blocks of stone, it had turrets and towers and lots of decorative stained glass windows. It was large and old looking, even though it was barely a hundred years old, with thick patches of native moss growing in the sheltered shadows and clinging vines growing up the base of all the outer walls. But the outer façade was deceptive.

Inside, very little looked ancient or primitive. Everything was thoroughly modern. There was electricity, running water, climate control, everything needed for a comfortable life.

The last Dannarak to live here had moved away years ago, back to Verdant, and had been rather picky in who he sold his exotic family estate to. True to his eccentric family nature, he hadn't wanted to sell the property to any locals of Xendiir or Verdant. When Padmé made an offer to buy the place, he cheerfully sold it to her at a few thousand under the original asking price.

So Padmé now had a castle and a large chunk of property around it. Her other new holdings included a small lake named Agate Lake, a piece of the surround Fellis Woods, and a grove of native Ambrosia trees. It all looked like it had come out of a book of children's fairy tales.

But with two, tiny, demanding babies, it was difficult to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Life revolved around feeding, cleaning, and keeping the twins happy. There wasn't much time or energy for anything else.

Dividing the cooked eggs between three plates, Sabé took one of them and began to eat. Already she could hear the faint noises drifting down from upstairs, telling her that at least one other person was awake. Soon her quiet morning would be over, and the tiring juggling act of the day would begin.

_The things I do for you, my Queen…_

_

* * *

_

Eric Typho sighed in despair as he regarded the pipe assembly he was trying to replace. He wasn't a handyman by any stretch of the imagination. He was a security man, not Mr. Fix-It. But this needed doing, and being the only man here, and the only adult not busy, it was his job to do it.

The Ambrosia tree was an interesting native plant species. It naturally produces an excess amount of sap and the extra fluid is slowly but constantly oozing out of small openings beneath the base of all major tree boughs. This strange trait evolved to attract colonies of native stinging insects that would defend the tree in exchange for the free sap. But when cultivated by Humans, there were no stinging insects needed.

Humans collect the pale pink sweet sap using simple arrangements of pipes and use the substance for their own purposes. Ambrosia sap is used in a wide variety of local recipes to add a kick of sweet sticky flavor. And it can be processed into a more runny formula and added to drinks, or used as a drink by itself. Some people had a few trees on their land for private use; others had groves so that they could sell the excess.

Dannarak Castle possessed a decent-sized grove so they would have to sell the extra. They certainly couldn't use up all of the sticky stuff themselves. And so the collect the sap, the collection pipes needed to be kept in order. If they weren't, the sap would sit around and attract swarms of stinging, biting insects, and those weren't welcome, especially with two small babies around.

Taking up his wrench, he began to wrestle with the connectors so that he could remove the old pipes and put new ones in their places. The connectors were sticky, almost frozen in place. Typho growled and put more strength into it.

The weather wasn't helping much. Being located in a tropical region meant that it was always hot and muggy. And when it wasn't, it was raining.

The Fellis Woods that surrounded the castle weren't really 'woods' but a dense tropical rainforest. The environment was untouched except where it had been cleared to make way for the grove of Ambrosia trees, Dannarak Castel, and the road that led to and from the property. It was wild and untamed and exotically beautiful.

Wiping the sweat that had collected on his dark forehead, he straightened up to stretch out his back. Hearing a distinctive mechanical whine through the buzz of bird and insect calls, his head whipped around to watch the distant road. A closed-top speeder came around the bend and Typho squinted his one remaining eye to study it closely.

_Oh no,_ he moaned as he recognized it. _Not **him **again! Padmé is not going to be happy…_

_

* * *

_

It was approaching noon now and Padmé gratefully put Leia down for her midday nap. Luke was already in his own crib and peacefully asleep, though Padmé peeked in on him briefly anyway. Artoo crouched in the corner of the room silently, playing the role of baby monitor. She waved at the squat little droid and then turned out the light, tip-toed out of the room, and closed the door.

Sighing in relief, Padmé scrubbed a tired hand over her face and headed for her own bedroom. They would sleep for an hour or two before waking up again, hopefully longer, and she intended to take full advantage of the break. While they napped, she would nap too.

However the galaxy decided that it hated her today. Just as she reached her bedroom door, her plans were dashed. Sabé hurried up to her, looking decidedly unhappy.

"Padmé, Vexton is here." Sabé informed her.

Padmé felt like screaming. "Great," she growled instead. "Where did you leave him?"

"In the parlor," Sabé replied.

Nodding distractedly, Padmé turned on her heel and marched down to the parlor. While she desperately wanted to lie and send him away with the excuse that she was busy or ill, she just wasn't desperate enough to go through with it. Though if he kept showing up at her home the way he was doing, she just might do it sometime.

The Vexton in question was a man named Vexton Dare. He was the youngest of Darius Dare's three sons and so was rather spoiled. His father was the head of a large bank and was a keen investor, so with such wealth he was used to getting his way without any trouble. And that made him…unpleasant…to deal with.

She stepped into the parlor and was confronted with a devastatingly handsome man who was sitting on one of her couches. His dark hair and dark brown eyes contrasted starkly with his smooth fair skin and only enhanced his holo-star good looks. But a pretty face didn't necessarily mean that the man behind it was any good.

"Ah, Miss Padmé!" Vexton greeted with his patented charming grin.

"Good afternoon Mr. Dare," Padmé nodded stiffly and took a seat in the armchair across from the couch. "What can I do for you?"

"Oh, I just came by to check on you," Vexton smiled. "I worry about you, you know."

"You have no need to worry, Mr. Dare." Padmé replied, struggling to keep her tone calm and pleasant. "I am a fully grown woman and fully capable of taking care of myself."

"I have no doubt of that," Vexton assured her. "I am only concerned that you might be lonely out here all alone."

"I am not lonely, Mr. Dare. I live here with my friend, my cousin, and my two children." Padmé responded.

"But not your husband," Vexton pointed out. "Have you heard from him yet?"

"No," Padmé replied, wishing she had the time and mental sharpness to craft a convincing lie.

"It's a pity," Vexton remarked, "that a man could be so insensitive as to abandon a lovely woman like you and leave you alone with only two children, a family friend, and a distant cousin for company. It is just shocking to me."

Padmé wanted to slap him. "He has no choice in the matter. He doesn't even know where I am. But once he does, he will come."

Vexton studied her curiously for a moment. "Miss Padmé, have you yet considered the possibility that he _will not_ find you?" He asked slowly.

"He will find me," Padmé declared confidently.

"It's a big galaxy out there," Vexton reminded her with a slightly patronizing tone. "And, what with all the chaos in the Empire, the very chaos that separated you in the first place, he might very well be–"

"He is not dead." Padmé interrupted firmly. _Obi-Wan assured me that he was alive when last we spoke._

"As you say," Vexton nodded dubiously.

"My husband is alive and he will come when he can." Padmé insisted. "And I am perfectly capable of managing things by myself until he arrives. You have no reason to worry for me."

"Hm, irrational as my worries may be, they still pester me." Vexton sighed. He glanced down at his wrist chrono and sighed again. "I must be going," he frowned. "I shall see you later."

Padmé stiffly escorted him to her door and waved him off as he pulled away. The instant he was out of sight she closed the door growled in frustration. Sabé peered cautiously through a nearby doorway.

"Is he gone?" Sabé asked quietly.

"Yes, thank the Gods." Padmé grumbled.

"He didn't stay very long this time," Sabé pointed out optimistically.

"That doesn't mean anything." Padmé sighed. "He's just as idiotically tenacious as Senator Vorski was."

"At least he's not a creepy old man." Sabé remarked, trying to find a bright side.

"No, he's a spoiled rich kid who would probably hit on me even if I had a husband sitting right next to me." Padmé scowled disgustedly.

"Try to look at the positives Padmé," Sabé encouraged.

"Right now I'm more interested in trying to nap." Padmé groaned. "Hold any callers unless it's an emergency, please."

"Of course," Sabé nodded and left to do something else.

Padmé yawned and marched back upstairs and into her room. This time nothing prevented her from making it into her bedroom and onto her bed. But despite her exhaustion, sleep did not claim her immediately.

When she'd decided to come to Xendiir, it seemed like the perfect place. It was virtually unheard of outside its sector, and rarely heard of outside its system. It was civilized, outside of the Empire's reach, isolated, and beautiful. But when she arrived, she found the local culture to be an unexpected problem.

All of the Humans that lived here had come from the neighboring planet of Verdant. While they were more adventurous and eccentric than those they left behind, their beliefs, traditions, and society was the same as what was found on Verdant. And had Padmé known this, she wouldn't have settled here unless she could find nothing better.

Their culture was a male-dominated one. They claimed that men and women were treated equally, and many local laws seemed to support this assertion, but in practice women were subordinate to men is pretty much everything. For a person like herself born on Naboo, a world that culturally leaned slightly more towards female domination, this was an uncomfortable place at best.

On Xendiir, women were expected to marry, stay married, have at least one child, and stay home to manage the house. Men were free to do as they pleased. They were the heads of business and politics, free of all the silly social restrictions placed on their mothers, aunts, female cousins, sisters, wives, and daughters.

When Padmé had moved into Dannarak Castle, her neighbors were shocked. Not only was she living with a man that she wasn't married to, but she also shared her home with an unwed female cousin and two infants and her husband was nowhere to be found. Her simple excuse that she had become separated from her husband in the upheaval that occurred when the Empire was formed and that he would come to her later stunned them.

But if they knew even a fraction of the truth, they would be shocked out of their minds. None of them ever imagined that not only was she a former politician, a Senator for Naboo no less, but that she actually wasn't married at all. Her marriage certificate, along with all of her current paperwork, was a forgery.

After falsifying her death with Bail Organa's assistance, she had reinvented herself while she languished on Polis Massa. She became Padmé Skywalker, a Coruscanti citizen who emigrated to Corellia and met and married Anakin Skywalker only a year previously. Sabé Maybine became Sabé Maberrie, her distant cousin from Chandrila and close friend. And Eric Typho stayed Eric Typho a close friend and servant, though now he was from Kuat instead of Naboo.

During the transition period from Republic to Empire, which in many places was still going on, Corellia suffered greatly. There were riots and revolts as the independent-minded Corellians protested the change in galactic government and the Empire responded harshly, sending troops in to massacre the protestors and even innocent bystanders to bring the planet to heel. While such cruelty angered her, it made it perfect for her cover as a new wife and mother fleeing the carnage and chaos of the Core for safety in the unaligned Outer Rim.

She'd chosen to be married because in most Human cultures it was frowned upon not to be married and have children and she didn't want to stand out. Being married also deterred any potential suitors that might be interested in courting her. She had no desire to date any other man and she certainly wasn't interested in marrying anyone.

Her choice of 'husband' was a simple one. Anakin Skywalker was the biological father of her children, he wasn't married to anyone else, and if he did track her down she was certain that she could convince him to play along with her ruse. If anyone disbelieved that he was her husband, all she needed was a blood test to match him to his children.

On Xendiir her marital status had helped partly legitimize her. But since her husband wasn't around, many were still leery of her. They found her strange that she was so unconcerned for her missing spouse, so confident that he would somehow appear at some point.

However, her lack of a visible husband meant that some more bold men still were up for risking trying to have a relationship with her. The crowd was quickly weeded out by those who didn't want to be pulled down by another man's children, but there were still some left. The most determined of which unfortunately happened to be Vexton Dare.

Groaning at the very thought of the distasteful man, Padmé found her mind scrabbling for a solution to him. The only answer that she came to though was Anakin. But Anakin wasn't here. He didn't know that she was here. He might not even be aware that she was alive. And she had no way of directly contacting him.

_Anakin,_ she gulped, clutching at her Japor necklace. _Wherever you are, you'd better find me soon. Before I lose it and kill Vexton Dare with my bare hands…_

_

* * *

_

Sabé grinned as she bounced little Luke on her knees and babbled at him in nonsense baby-talk. Luke grinned toothlessly back at her, his fair chubby face scrunched up in delight. It was times likes these, when he wasn't shrieking in the middle of the night for food or a clean diaper, that she wished that she had a little baby of her own.

Their play time was soon interrupted though. Padmé appeared and instantly Luke's attention was drawn to his Mommy. He squealed in delight and reached his pudgy little arms out to her.

"Ma!" Luke cried.

"Hi baby," Padmé smiled and gathered her son up in her arms. "Were you good for Auntie Sabé?"

"Gah!" Luke gurgled, snuggling his face into her neck.

"Yes, he was a very good boy." Sabé smiled.

"Good," Padmé nodded and gently kissed the top of Luke's blonde head. But her happy expression quickly faded. "Sabé?"

"Yes?" Sabé straightened up.

"I fear that I must ask a very large favor of you." Padmé sighed.

"What's the favor?" Sabé asked curiously.

"I need you to deliver a message." Padmé replied, holding out her hand and revealing a palm-sized holo-disk.

"Can't you just send it over the Datanet?" Sabé suggested, taking the disk.

"Forgive me for being paranoid, but I don't want it being traced or intercepted. I want this hand-delivered." Padmé said, shifting Luke on her hip.

"Oh," Sabé studied the disk curiously. "Where do you want me to take it?"

"To Tatooine," Padmé informed her. "I need you to give it to Shmi Skywalker for her to pass along to Anakin the next time she sees him…"


	9. 8: Seeking

**Note: **Holy cow! Not even ten posts and already there are more than one hundred reviews! That's _insane_! Thanks a bunch people, keep the reviewing up!

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 8**  
_Seeking…_

_The Sith_'_s face twitched in stunned agony before the heavily tattooed creature tilted backwards, down into the seemingly bottomless reactor shaft. Obi-Wan watched it as it tumbled down, splitting it two from his fatal strike. And then he turned away._

_Rushing over, he gathered his fallen Master into his arms. Qui-Gon Jinn, once healthy and strong, was now pale and fading fast. The scorched hole in his gut, a mortal wound, was letting his life force bleed away._

"_It's too late." Qui-Gon wheezed faintly._

"_No Master!" Obi-Wan choked in protest, cradling his dying Master closer._

"_Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon panted, weakly touching his Padawan's face. "There's something…there's something I need…for you to…do for me. Promise me…"_

"_Yes, Master." Obi-Wan swallowed, trying desperately not to cry. "Anything."_

"_Obi-Wan…promise me…" Qui-Gon gasped, barely audible. "Promise me…"_

_Qui-Gon fell still then, his final breath slowly seeping out of him along with his soul. Obi-Wan stared down at his Master, uncomprehending. And then his world ended._

_The bond that had tied him to his Master was sundered. It wasn't a violent tearing so much as it was a sense of loss so quick and sharp it was like being stabbed. He couldn't feel Qui-Gon anymore. All he could feel was alone._

_Bowing his head and clutching the limp form of his Master, he cried._

_

* * *

_

Obi-Wan snapped upright in bed, soaked in sweat and trembling. All he could see was pitch blackness all around him. The chill air's pinch was magnified by his damp skin, making it all the more difficult to get a handle on his trembling.

It had been years since he'd dreamed of his Master's death. The dream was disturbing enough by itself, but it was intensified by the great length of time since he'd last experienced it. He'd thought that that dream had finally faded from his consciousness so that he would no longer have to relive it.

Scrubbing a weary hand over his face, he slumped back down onto his less than comfortable bed and attempted to return to sleep. Sleep, however, decided to elude him for the time being. So with his efforts in vain, he let his mind wander. And, of course, his mind wandered back to the dream.

Why had it returned now, after so many years? He could find no immediate reason for it beyond stress. But he'd been under a great deal of stress many times since he'd last had the dream and it had never recurred then.

_Perhaps it's Master Qui-Gon's spirit trying to contact me,_ he speculated doubtfully. _But if it is him, why not just talk with me instead of showing me that dream again? Is he not capable of direct communication?_ He sighed and wished that he could ask Master Yoda.

However, the ancient Master was beyond his reach. Yoda was in self-imposed exile on a planet named Dagobah. He was only to be contacted for a very serious matter or an emergency. This didn't classify as either.

Turning over, he tried to sleep again. He wasn't as young as he used to be and couldn't run on as little sleep as he once had been able to. But still the restful state that he sought evaded his grasp.

_Blast,_ he growled and smacked his pillow irritably. _Sleepless nights get very old, very fast._ He sighed and shifted around again.

As a last ditch effort, he meditated. It helped him relax and tension that he hadn't been fully aware of drained away. And then, at some point, he finally found sleep.

_

* * *

_

Siri Tachi adjusted her jacket uncomfortably as she picked her way through the bustling streets of Droma, a major port city on the windy world of Dossh. She'd worn clothing other than her Jedi robes plenty of times before during missions to disguise her Jedi status. But it had been nearly six months since she'd last worn her proper Jedi uniform and the strangeness of her new spacer clothes was really starting to wear on her.

Tucking a stray lock of short blonde hair behind her ear, she entered the main spaceport building and worked her way towards a certain docking bay. It was roughly noon here and the port was at its busiest. That made it the perfect time to arrive or depart relatively unnoticed.

After a lot of walking, she came to a smaller bay near the edge of the spaceport. Inside it crouched her ship, a tiny hyper-capable shuttle of Corellian design. It was old and a little clumsy, but it served her purposes well.

It possessed a two-person cockpit, a passenger compartment, a small cargo bay, a small cabin with two bunks, a closet-sized refresher, and a shelf of a medical bay. In its heyday, the shuttle had been a high-class small transport for rich passengers. Now it was long outdated, broken-down and dirty. It was on the block to be scrapped before she rescued it with a chunk of credits she took the risk of liberating from a Jedi account.

Entering her code into the door, it slid open and allowed her in. She strode into the cockpit and ran through the start-up procedures. But while her fingers and eyes were focused on this task, her mind was parsecs away.

After the fall of the Temple and after Obi-Wan had found her hiding in the underbelly of Coruscant, she had adopted a solitary nomadic lifestyle. Master Yoda had gone into exile somewhere, he hadn't told her where. Obi-Wan had gone on to seek his missing former apprentice, the enigmatic Vader. And she had been left alone, to drift aimlessly about in the vague hope that she would find someone else, perhaps her own lost former apprentice, Ferus Olin.

But now she at last had a definite mission. An old contact of hers had passed along a message to her. A rumor that was most likely a trap of some kind, but one that was simply too intriguing for her to ignore.

The Prime Minister of Kamino was desperately seeking the help of the Jedi. Or, at least that was what her informant claimed. And she intended to find out more about this claim.

It was insanely risky. Kamino was the main source of the Empire's clone forces. There was bound to be a good-sized force of Imperials there guarding it. It would be hard to escape their notice, but she would do her best.

Firing her engines, she got clearance from the tower and then lifted off. Rising steadily through the atmosphere, she set the NavComputer to plotting a hyperspace course to Kamino. And then, once she escaped Dossh's gravity well, she pulled the hyperspace lever and sped away.

_

* * *

_

Bruck Chun sullenly regarded his greenish drink as he sat in the darkest corner of the smokiest bar he could find in this corner of Nar Shaddaa. The galaxy might be turned on its head right now, but some things never changed. The houses of vice remained in tact, ready to serve whoever desires their products.

_None of these scum care that the Jedi Order has been massacred. _Bruck scowled in disgust. _Hell, they're all probably drinking to it! Filthy vermin…_

Shaking his head slightly, he downed a fiery gulp of his alcohol. He knew he shouldn't dwell on the past, but he couldn't help it. There was just so much that wasn't fair in his life…

Obi-Wan Kenobi was a prime example. As a child, Obi-Wan had been a worthless brat. Almost all the Masters had seen that, which was why he was consistently passed over for apprenticeship. Even Qui-Gon hadn't wanted anything to do with him at first.

But Obi-Wan, the arrogant little idiot, thought he was the best thing since space travel was invented. Bruck took it upon himself to remind Obi-Wan of his true place. And the little twerp was insane and unstable enough to actually get into a fistfight with him in the halls of the Temple.

For that, Obi-Wan was banished to Bandomeer a full month before his thirteenth birthday, the date when he'd have to leave _anyway_. Bruck felt pleased, even though he'd been grounded by his Master for participating in the brawl. Annoying, pathetic little Obi-Wan was gone forever.

However 'forever' turned out to be a very sort segment of time indeed. When Qui-Gon Jinn, the maverick Jedi Master who had lost his second apprentice, Xanatos duCrion, and sworn off taking another Padawan ever again, next returned to the Temple, he brought Obi-Wan back with him as his new Padawan. Somehow the little jerk had wormed his way into Qui-Gon's mushy old heart and escaped from Bandomeer.

Bruck was secretly angry. He'd been sent to Bandomeer, washed out of the Jedi Order. He wasn't allowed to come back! And yet he was back, a Padawan to prestigious, if rebellious, Jedi Master.

Obi-Wan's smug little attitude only got worse as time went on. By the time the infamous Melida/Daan mission came up, the jerk was almost impossible to stand. And then he left the Order – _left it!_ – to _be with a girl_ and mess things up. Bruck had tried to stop him and Obi-Wan had nearly killed him for it.

And after all of that, Qui-Gon and the Council still let him come back after that stupid girl he'd gotten so attached to died. He should've been exiled permanently for what he'd done, yet they welcomed him back. Bruck had had to studiously avoid Obi-Wan for years after that or risk doing something to the bastard that he would regret later.

But in that time, things got even worse. Obi-Wan was first lauded as the Sith-Killer, the first Jedi to kill a Sith in centuries, yet he'd done it only after his Master was mortally wounded. That accomplishment raised him to the rank of Jedi Knight without undergoing the Trials like everyone else. Yet again he'd been given preferential treatment.

Then he became a Master. With the War came the title of Negotiator. Then he won a seat on the Council. And then _his_ Padawan, some mysterious character that he'd never met or heard much but rumor about, was knighted without the Trials….

It was ridiculous! No matter how badly Obi-Wan screwed up, he caught every single break, he was always forgiven. Many others would be expelled or at least suspended for half of the crap that he'd pulled. Yet Obi-Wan was barely given a slap on the wrist for all his infractions, and then was rewarded again and again. He should've been left on Bandomeer to rot!

_I bet the creep's still sitting pretty somewhere, even with everything that's happened._ Bruck growled under his breath and tossed back some more of his drink. _He seriously needs to be knocked down a few pegs, reminded that he's a mortal just like the rest of us. And I'd love to be the one to do it…_

Swearing a solemn oath to find whatever skeletons in Obi-Wan's closet that he'd missed, he tossed back the rest of his drink and settled back to stew for the rest of the night on the miserable ball of rock that most knew as the Smuggler's Moon…

_

* * *

_

Obi-Wan stumbled out of his rented room and into the harsh sunlight outside. Due to his interrupted sleep he'd slept longer than he'd meant to and now he was dangerously close to be late. If he didn't hurry up, he'd miss his flight.

Jogging down the street, he dodged around vendors and slower moving pedestrians, he headed for the spaceport. It wasn't that where he was going was anywhere important. As far as he knew, there was nothing special about the third moon of Odon. But if he didn't catch his flight, he'd waste his credits.

But the Force was not with him today. At least, not in regards to catching his transport. Because halfway to the spaceport, he crashed into another person as he was desperately dodging a speeding landspeeder.

He and the other person crashed to the street in an awkward tangle. Too rushed to be embarrassed, Obi-Wan did his best to disentangle himself from the other man, get his bag, and leave. But before he got up from the ground he caught a good look at just who he had accidentally slammed into.

"Garen?" Obi-Wan blinked.

Garen paused to gape at Obi-Wan. "Obi-Wan?"

"This is…unexpected." Obi-Wan managed after a moment.

"Always one for understatements," Garen sighed, shaking his head, "aren't you?"

Obi-Wan shrugged.

"Never mind," Garen chuckled a little. "So, what's the rush?"

"I'm running late for a flight." Obi-Wan sighed.

"You? Late?" Garen blinked. "No way."

"I slept in." Obi-Wan added, straightening out his coat.

"You slept in?" Garen sputtered. "Are you really Obi-Wan Kenobi?"

"Not so loud, please." Obi-Wan muttered, glancing around.

"Sorry," Garen mumbled, sobering. "Where you going anywhere important?"

"No, just wandering." Obi-Wan sighed. "Trying to see if I could find anyone."

"Well, now you have," Garen grinned. "Unless I don't count."

"Of course you count," Obi-Wan snorted. "So what were you doing before I ran you over?"

"I was going to investigate some property I managed to acquire in the course of a Sabacc game." Garen replied with a grin.

"Really? What did you win?" Obi-Wan asked curiously.

"A ship," Garen smirked.

"A ship?" Obi-Wan repeated disbelievingly.

"A ship," Garen nodded, setting off down the street.

"How did you manage to win a ship?" Obi-Wan sputtered, following him.

"The table I joined last night was filled with rich merchantmen who were drunk." Garen smiled.

"Ah, I see." Obi-Wan nodded. "What kind of ship is it?"

"I'm not sure, actually." Garen shrugged sheepishly. "All that went into the pot was the ship title and a scrap of paper with the door codes and docking bay number."

"This could be interesting." Obi-Wan remarked.

"I think it's exciting," Garen grinned.

"You would, you always loved flying." Obi-Wan snorted.

"Yeah," Garen nodded with a rather dreamy smile on his face.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes at his old crèche-mate. "Mind if I tag along?"

"Not at all, Obi!" Garen laughed. "I could use the company." He added quietly.

They said no more until they found their way into the docking bay named on the ratty piece of paper. Obi-wan expected to find a broken-down scrap heap, something that a spacer, even a drunk one, wouldn't mind parting with. That wasn't what they found when they entered the bay.

The ship that lay there was new looking. It was a sleek light cargo ship that aimed for speed over hauling capacity. Designed to move high value cargo at great speed, it was a logical target for pirates, and so was armed to meet them. It was hard to determine just where the ship originated, though if Obi-Wan had to guess, he would say Kuat. And he would also guess that it was an expensive little vessel.

"Garen," he said once he remembered that he could speak. "I think we ought to leave before whoever you won this from sobers up enough to realize just what he's lost."

"Yeah," Garen nodded dazedly. "You're right."

After gawking at it for a few more minutes, they jogged up the ramp and tested the door code. It worked, thankfully, and they were in. Then it was just a matter of keeping Garen on task so that they could take off. If he didn't keep reminding his friend of what he was supposed to be doing, he was certain that Garen would spend hours admiring all the consoles and controls.

But, eventually, Garen got the new pretty ship started up and flying up through the atmosphere towards space. The ride was pleasantly smooth and it was almost enough for Obi-Wan to forget that they were flying. And before he knew it, they were past the hyper-limit and now faced with a question.

"Where to?" Garen asked cheerfully.

"I don't know, where do you want to go?" Obi-Wan shrugged.

"Home," Garen sighed honestly.

"That isn't likely to be possibly anytime soon." Obi-Wan unhappily pointed out.

"I know," Garen nodded. "It's the only place that springs to my mind though."

"We could try the third moon of Odon." Obi-Wan suggested half-heartedly.

"What's there?" Garen frowned.

"No idea, it just sounded interesting when I bought the ticket." Obi-Wan replied.

"Right," Garen snorted. "Hmm…how about Ord Mantell?"

"Isn't that a resort planet?" Obi-Wan frowned.

"Yes, but it's also a smuggler haven. Who knows what we might find there?" Garen grinned. "And besides, who would expect a pair of Jedi fugitives to go on vacation?"

"Point," Obi-Wan snorted. "Fine, let's go to Ord Mantell."

"Ord Mantell it is!" Garen declared and began plotting a course.

Obi-Wan settled back in the co-pilot's chair and waited for the surge of acceleration that accompanied the jump into hyperspace. _This ought to be fun… I think. _

_

* * *

_

Siri grinned in fierce delight as she settled her nameless shuttle down on a small, out-of-the-way landing pad. So far, she'd done it. The Imperial idiots orbiting overhead had no idea that she was here.

She'd dropped out of hyperspace briefly, just outside of the system to gather some intelligence. Once she pinned down where all of the Imperial picket ships were and found all their movement patterns, she plotted a micro-jump. Her little jump brought her dangerously close to the gravity well's threshold, on the far side of the planet and completely out of Imperial sight.

Then it was straight into the perpetually stormy atmosphere. It was a rough, long flight, but the terrible weather degraded the Imperial sensors so they couldn't track her well, if they ever noticed her at all. And now, after a lot of skimming over the endless roiling Kaminoan Ocean, she was here at Tipoca City.

The great capital of Kamino was made up of giant white structures on massive tall stilts that were capped with domes. It was all smooth fluid lines with no visible decorations, making her think of simple bleached seashells. The city was beautiful in its own alien way, but she didn't find it particularly interesting.

For this visit, she'd pulled out her Jedi robes so that the Kaminoans would recognize her. Pulling her brown hooded cloak tightly closed, she opened her shuttle door and marched down the ramp. After about three steps, she was soaked through.

It was always storming here. The atmosphere seemed locked in a permanent, planet-wide typhoon. Sheets of cold rain poured from the gray-black sky that was riddled with flashes of lightning whose thunder was drowned out by the constant roar of crashing waves and howling winds.

The instant Siri stepped inside, though, it was a different world. It was eerily silent, glaring white, and very bright. And then a Kaminoan appeared, gliding ghost-like towards her.

Obi-Wan hadn't been exaggerating when he'd described them as gray, stretched-out humanoids. The Kaminoan was at least seven feet tall, maybe taller, and its height was all in the legs and neck. It was so willowy and slender Siri imagined it would snap in half if it went outside.

"Greetings, Master Jedi." It greeted in a soft feminine voice. "The Prime Minister was hoping that you would come. This way please."

Siri bowed politely and followed the Kaminoan that she decided was female. They walked down many different hallways, all of which looked the same to her. But her guide seemed to know exactly where they were going so Siri didn't worry too much.

Eventually they came to an office. Behind the desk sat another Kaminoan who had a small, dark, fin-like crest perched on the top of its head. Siri took it to be the Prime Minister of Kamino.

"Prime Minister Lama Su, a Jedi has come." The female Kaminoan announced softly.

"Thank you Taun We," Lama Su sighed in a distinctly masculine voice. "Please summon Scientist Norn Ai here. He will know what for."

"Of course, Prime Minister." Taun We bowed and glided from the office.

"Please sit down," Lama Su invited. He pressed a button on his desk and a white spoon-like floating chair floated down from somewhere above.

Siri warily sat down in the hovering seat, waiting for any trap to spring on her. "You called for a Jedi, Prime Minister?"

"Yes, I did." Lama Su confirmed with a slight nod. "I feel that I must begin with an apology, Master Jedi." He began, folding his long thin hands on top of each other on his desk. "We are not in the habit of asking our clients their intentions when we agree to create product for them. Now it seems that our lack of curiosity has had a grave and decidedly negative impact on all those involved. We did not wish for such things to happen. Once we release our product to the client, we have no control over it."

"I understand," Siri nodded neutrally. _I understand that you're only sorry that your race is virtually enslaved now. If the Empire just paid you and left you alone, you wouldn't care at all._

"We all suffer now from the oppression that hangs over the galaxy," Lama Su sighed regretfully. "But you and your kind have suffered the most. And so, while I still can, I wish to try and atone for our severe misjudgment." The Kaminoan reached into a desk drawer and removed a small stack of disks. "I have made copies of many files that you might find useful. If they are not immediately useful, they perhaps you can keep them safe until a later date, for I fear that the originals may be destroyed soon."

"Thank you Prime Minister, I shall keep them safe for you." Siri promised and used the Force to levitate the offered disks into her own hands so that she didn't have to get up. Obi-Wan would probably scold her for such use of the Force, but he wasn't here her his dark looks.

"Thank _you_ Master Jedi." Lama Su replied.

At that moment, another Kaminoan appeared. Siri guessed that it was another male as it had the same dark crest on its head as the Prime Minister. He wore a different style of suit that vaguely reminded her of a lab coat and he carried a lumpy cloth bundle in his arms.

"Ah, Scientist Norn Ai, thank you for coming so promptly." Lama Su greeted.

"I do not think that this is a good idea." Norn Ai replied flatly, a vague expression of unhappiness on his pale face. "It is defective. It needs reconditioning."

"It is fine as it is." Lama Su decided.

"It is an unacceptable deviation." Norn Ai argued.

"It is _fine_!" Lama Su snapped, briefly losing his temper to the point where he actually looked angry.

Norn Ai flinched away and looked deeply alarmed.

"I am sorry," Lama Su apologized once he gathered himself. "Things have been increasingly stressful lately." He paused and shifted his gaze back to Siri. "Master Jedi, is it not correct that your Order seeks out young individuals with abnormally high levels of the symbiotic microscopic life forms known as midichlorians?"

"Yes," Siri nodded.

"Then I have a gift for you." Lama Su nodded to Norn Ai.

The scientist reluctantly approached her. "Once this child was removed from its artificial womb, its blood was found to contain unacceptably high levels of midichlorians. Normally such imperfections are corrected as quickly as possible, but the Prime Minister was supervising the birth of that particular batch and ordered that no correction be made." Norn Ai scowled in disgust as he finished his little explanation.

"I prevented the correction in the hopes that one of your Order might be found so that the child might be given to you." Lama Su informed her.

Norn Ai frowned and presented Siri with the bundled gray blanket he was holding. Siri did her best not to gape as she gazed upon the sleeping face of a tiny Kaminoan infant. It took her a few moments to unfreeze and awkwardly accept the alien child.

"It is a male, only a few months old, and it has been named Noma Su." Norn Ai told her after releasing the child.

Siri nodded wordlessly, mutely fascinated by the tiny being she was suddenly saddled with.

"Included in the files I have given you are all the instructions you should need to properly care for it." Lama Su added. "Now I must advise you to leave quickly," he warned. "The _Crusher_'s captain is due for a visit and inspection within the hour."

She pulled her gaze away from the sleeping infant with some effort. "I see," Siri nodded gravely. "I thank you for you help and hospitality. I hope that my colleagues and I may return the favor and assist you in the future."

Carefully standing and bowing to the two Kaminoans, she turned and left the office. Taun We was waiting outside for her and mutely guided her back to her shuttle. Siri followed, doing her best not to look at the youngling out of fear that she'd get distracted enough that she would get lost.

Pausing at the portal that led to the stormy outdoors, Siri pulled up her hood and did her best to tuck the infant inside her cloak. Bracing herself, she marched outside and back into her shuttled. But even with all of her hurrying, she was still soaked through. It certainly didn't help that she was still damp from her last excursion.

Depositing the still sleeping infant on the co-pilot's seat, she began the start-up procedures. Her motions were automatic so her mind drifted away to be occupied by other things. Of all the reasons that the Kaminoans might've had for calling for a Jedi, she never imagined that this would be it.

Lifting off the landing pad, she dropped down to skim dangerously close to the wave crests. Delving deeply into the Force so that she didn't crash, she darted away back the way she'd come. And as she went, she called up the departure route she'd programmed into the NavComputer in case she needed to make a rapid escape and locked it in.

When she reached the night side of the planet, the same vector where she'd entered, she began to climb to escape the atmosphere. As she fought the shifting winds and lightning strikes, the shuttle began to shudder and the engines whined. Once she broke through the turbulence and left the atmosphere for the vacuum of space, she briefly glanced over at the baby. Thankfully it was still asleep.

_Oh Force, this is going to be…interesting._

And then, when her instruments gave her the all-clear, she threw the hyperspace lever and disappeared.


	10. 9: Fleeing

**Chapter 9**  
_Fleeing…_

A blaring noise cut through the darkness and Ferus Olin jolted upright, blinking dazedly as he tried to make sense of things. Moments later he groaned as he switched the alarm off and scrubbed at his stubbly face. The shriek of the hyperspace alarm was what had gotten to him. They were almost to the programmed endpoint of this little hyperspace jaunt.

Staring blearily at the display, he watched the numbers count down to the exact moment when he needed to pull the lever to bring them back to sub-light speed. When the counter reached zero, he pulled on the lever and dully watched as the craggy blue mists melted into the star-spangled black void of space. Off to the side hung a cloudy orb of a planet whose name Ferus' sleepy brain couldn't recall at the moment.

Letting the _Theta_-class shuttle just hang in space for a few minutes, Ferus worked on waking up. It wouldn't do for him to crash when he tried to land because he couldn't think clearly. So he shook himself out and worked at dusting the cobwebs out of his sluggish brain.

In the co-pilot's seat his companion, Darra Thel-Tannis, was slumped awkwardly in the chair, still out cold. The screaming alarm hadn't even made her stir. She was even more exhausted than he was and probably would've slept through the end of the galaxy if he let her.

Sighing softly, he reached over and gently brushed a loose lock of her long, red, wavy hair out of her face. Then he idly traced a finger over the smooth, faintly freckled skin of her cheek. Only when she started to stir did he retract his hand in a mild panic. To his great relief, she didn't wake up.

_Oh, that was too close._ Ferus gulped and blushed slightly. _Too close…_

Shaking his head vigorously, he took the control yoke in his hands and began to bring them in to land. As he locked on to the landing beacon for a small port city, he vaguely recalled that this particular planet was named Anjaa Vor. All he knew about the place was what little the NavComputer entry said about it. It was a temperate world with an oxygen rich atmosphere and decent trade.

Frowning in deep concentration he went through the landing cycle and set the shuttle down on the landing pad that the tower control directed him to. Sighing deeply, he went through the shut-down procedures. All too soon, it would be time to get down to business.

"Hey Darra," he poked her in the shoulder. "Darra, we're here, wake up."

"Ngh," Darra groaned and sleepily shifted away from him.

"Darra," Ferus sighed, poking her a little harder. "Get up."

"Mm," Darra moaned and floppily waved her hand in his general direction.

"Darra," he grabbed her shoulder and gave it a shake. "Darra there's a bug in your hair."

"Nn–_what_?" Darra squeaked and lurched up out of the chair to bat at her hair. "Get it out, get it out!"

"Darra there isn't a bug in your hair," Ferus sighed, catching her flailing arms by her wrists.

"There isn't?" Darra blinked her blue eyes sleepily.

"No, there isn't." Ferus confirmed, letting good of her hands.

Her sleepy expression slowly darkened. "Don't scare me like that!" Darra snapped and punched his arm.

"Ow," Ferus mumbled, flinching away from her. "Was that really necessary?"

"Yes," Darra scowled irritably.

"Whatever," Ferus grumbled. "We've landed, just so you know."

"Oh," Darra sighed, then yawned and stretched.

Ferus swallowed hard as he watched her. They'd both ditched their Jedi robes out of necessity, but while he'd chosen a loose-fitting spacer outfit, she'd gone with something different. She had picked a much tighter outfit that clearly defined her female form, and when she stretched like that…

"I'm going to take a shower," Darra yawned. "Have fun waking the younglings up."

It took a few minutes for Ferus to get his train of thought back on track. Shaking his head, he ran a hand nervously through his hair and headed for the passenger compartment of the shuttle. It was time to wake the younglings up now.

In their narrow escape from the Temple, he and Darra had been saddled with the responsibility of looking after ten Jedi Initiates. Vader – Anakin – whatever his name was! – had rescued the children and then dumped them on the two of them when it came time to flee the Temple. And later on Dantooine he had left them again, electing a solitary existence free of the pressure of taking care of ten frightened younglings.

All ten of them, five Humans, a Squib, a Zabrak, a Whiphid, a Togruta, and a Twi'lek, lay sprawled all over each other across the passenger compartment. Some curled up in the chairs while others made nests out of raggedy blankets on the hard cold floor. After six months on the run, all of the children had either altered their Jedi outfits, or replaced them entirely, so they no longer looked like Jedi children.

Reluctantly, Ferus set about waking them up. "Good morning young ones!" He called, clapping his hands. "Time to wake up!"

There was a flurry of moans, groans, and whimpers as the children began to stir.

"We've landed, Master?" Lydar, a Human boy, yawned, rubbing at his blue eyes.

"Yes, we're here." Ferus nodded.

"I'm hungry," Eekhaanhee Scridd the Squib, called Eek for short, whimpered.

"I know," Ferus nodded. Eek, being a Squib, had a more active metabolism and so ate more, and more often, then the other children. He was almost always hungry.

"Will we be able to go outside?" Biso, a Human boy and the youngest of all the younglings, asked curiously.

"No, we've landed at a spaceport." Ferus sighed.

"Oh," nearly all of the children mumbled.

When they landed near civilized areas, they tended to keep the children inside the shuttle as much as possible. Being seen with so many children, and children of so many different species, was a good way to get noticed, and they didn't want to be noticed. And since being cooped up in the shuttle was stressful to the children, they only landed in civilized areas when they needed to refuel and stock up on supplies.

"Don't worry, we won't stay here very long." Ferus assured them. "We'll go someplace nicer next time."

"Do we get breakfast now?" Eek asked, pricking up his pointed blue ears hopefully.

_Kids,_ Ferus chuckled. "Yes, let's get some breakfast."

_

* * *

_

_Oh what I wouldn't give for a real shower._ Darra sighed as she stepped out of the tiny sonic shower stall in the minuscule refresher unit and began to get dressed. While sonic showers got you just as clean as traditional water showers, they didn't leave you feeling quite as refreshed.

After wriggling back into her less-than-fresh clothing, she began attacking the snarls in her hair with a brush. Picking at all the painful knots and snags, she stared at her reflection in the tiny mirror that hung over the little sink. She wasn't terribly satisfied with what she saw.

Six months of running with little respite had taken their toll. Shadows hung under her eyes and her skin was paler than normal, making her hated freckles stand out. Months without a water shower and good soap left her hair looking dull and rough. And her expression always seemed to be tainted with a hint of haggard weariness, even when she found the inspiration to smile.

_I look awful,_ she sighed, _way worse than I usually do. I wonder if that's why he didn't like me…_

'He' of course was the intriguing and mysterious Vader. Or Master Skywalker, as the younglings called him. The uncertainty regarding his identity only added to his enigmatic appeal.

He was also ruggedly handsome with the dangerous scar by his eye. His intense blue eyes made her shiver and his shaggy dark blonde hair begged to have fingers run through it. And from the brief glimpse she'd seen of his bare torso, despite the scars there, the rest of his body was just as attractive as his face.

The mysterious Jedi, however, had expressed no interest in her. No matter how interesting she tried to make herself, or how interested she made herself appear in him, he never responded. In fact, he all but rejected her repeatedly, disappearing when she wasn't looking or closing doors in front of her face.

It was disheartening. True, relationships beyond friendship were forbidden between Jedi. But she couldn't help herself. He was so handsome and so mysterious that she desperately wanted to know him better.

With a sad sigh, she set aside the brush and left the little refresher. As soon as the door opened she could hear the younglings eating their breakfast. That was the problem to twelve beings living in a medium-range passenger shuttle. It was almost impossible to find any place to get privacy for more than an hour or so.

Padding back to the cargo compartment, she found all ten younglings and Ferus crammed in there eating breakfast. In this case, breakfast was ration bars and instant, just-add-water everything. Whatever was left from their last food purchase was what the meal was.

Swallowing another sigh, she picked through what little was left for her own food. That turned out to be powdered potato mix and canned meat of questionable identity. Doing her best not to look at it or think about what it was, she ate it as quickly as possible.

"Darra, am I allowed to go on the Datanet here?" Dirk, a Human boy, asked her curiously.

"We'll see," Darra replied evasively.

"Darra, are we going to meditate today?" Teena, the oldest Human girl, wondered.

"Probably," Darra shrugged.

"Darra, can we build practice sabers?" Tandor, the Zabrak boy, asked hopefully.

"No, we can't Tandor," Darra sighed. "We don't have the parts." _Just like the last ten times you asked._

"Darra, are you sure we can't go outside?" Eek asked, opening his large yellow eyes wide in a pleading look.

"If Ferus said no, then the answer is no." Darra replied firmly.

It was stupid. Just because she was still a Padawan while Ferus was a Knight the younglings always thought that she was a little bit softer so they could get away with things with her that they couldn't with Ferus. The fact that she and Ferus were nearly the exact same age meant little to them. Ferus was the Knight, so they called him Master. She was the Padawan, so they called her Darra.

"Could we get candy this time?" Little Biso asked her in a hopeful whisper.

"No, I don't think we'll be able to get any candy," Darra sighed a bit apologetically. "We need to save what credits we have for fuel and food. Candy is extra."

"Oh," Biso mumbled and slumped.

"When we can afford candy, we will got some candy." Darra promised. _Though it's entirely possible that we'll never be able to afford wasting credits on candy…_

"Okay," Biso smiled, cheered slightly.

"Well," Ferus sighed, "I've got to get to work. Behave for Darra now, I should be back soon."

"Good-bye Master!" All the children chorused. "May the Force be with you!"

"And may the Force be with you." Ferus replied and then left.

Darra watched him go and then dully turned her attention back to finishing off her unappetizing meal. He was always the one to go out and do things because he was the Knight and she was the Padawan. She had to stay behind and watch the younglings while he was away.

But at the same time she did not envy him for what he had to do. With their constant moving from one planet to the other, it was impossible to hold any job so that they could legitimately earn any amount of money. They certainly couldn't scrounge enough together to afford the fuel for their shuttle and the food they needed for themselves and all the children. So Ferus got them money illegally.

The way he usually did it, was by stealing. He slipped into warehouses to steal food crates for their own consumption and then he stole other things to fence on the next planet they went to. That way they got the credits they needed for fuel and other non-food expenses.

It was a shocking thought that a Jedi had to steal to survive. And to Darra it was doubly shocking because it was Ferus who was the Jedi in question. In fact, it was his own idea!

As an Initiate and later as a Padawan, Ferus had always been concerned with following the Code. He based every choice he made on the Code if he could. And he constantly had reminded her and Tru of what the Code said about this or that. It was like being followed around by a future Council member all the time.

And now here he was, knowingly and willingly breaking the law and stealing from others. It didn't matter that it was for a good purpose, it was still so wrong. She wondered how he could deal with the increasing guilt of his actions.

"Darra, can I help you pick where we go next?" Dirk asked curiously.

"Hm, I don't see why not." Darra mused.

"Can I help?" Biso asked hopefully.

"I want to help too!" Eek added excitedly.

"May I help too?" Tandor inquired.

"You can all help if you want." Darra interrupted before anyone else could ask. "But remember, Ferus has the final say in where we go."

The children cheered up instantly. Normally she left them to meditation exercises while she did a search for a new destination. Now they got to do something new.

"Now let's get started," Darra decided and led them to the NavComputer console so they could get on it.

_

* * *

_

Ferus immediately found his way to the shady side of town. Here he could find pawn shops and other small stores willing to fence stolen goods, or at least accept ones of questionable origin. He didn't have much left to sell off, just a small bag of jewelry tucked in the inside of his worn green spacer coat. It wasn't going to be enough. It would barely be enough to cover the fuel at this stop.

Spreading his take out over three stores, he managed to wrangle up more credits than he'd thought, but it still wouldn't be enough. He'd have to steal more than food while he was here. Wearily massaging his temples, he planned out his next move.

There were still a few hours of daylight. First he'd refuel the shuttle so that it would be ready for take off bright and early the next morning. Then he'd scout around until dark, when the real challenge would begin.

Squaring his shoulder, get got about it. He had a lot to do, and not much time to do it in. And the sooner he got it done, the better.

_I wish you were here Master. I could really use your help. And I could use the company too…_

_

* * *

_

Darra rubbed her forehead and sank back into the co-pilot's seat with a tired sigh. While the younglings' enthusiastic help, they'd planned out several different routes with four or five stops each to take. It was up to Ferus to pick which one they were going to ultimately take, but he had plenty of choice, a lot more choice than he usually had when it was just her planning things.

_Why didn't I think of inviting them to help before?_ She wondered, squirming into a comfortable position. _Aside from all the noisy chatter and arguments, it went rather well._

It had certainly given the younglings something interesting to do. She and Dirk had manned the console and read off each new system. The rest of the children then debated it, with her help, and they either approved the destination, or scrapped it. The whole exercise was probably the most educational thing they'd done in months.

Now she was exhausted and ready to settle down for the night. The younglings were meditating back in the passenger compartment before they turned in for the night. Not only was it good practice for them, but it helped minimize the nightmares that they suffered too.

Yawning, she closed her eyes and worked through her own meditations. She wasn't allowed to sleep herself, she had to stay awake and be alert for trouble. But meditating helped pass the long night.

It was startling how much her life had changed in six months. The war had suddenly ended, not with victory, but with defeat. The Temple was reduced to a slaughterhouse and the surviving Jedi branded as traitors.

Now her life revolved around running and surviving, instead of studying for knighthood. No longer did she have a Master to depend on, a mentor to guide her. During the Massacre he had been killed and the shock of it had distracted her enough that she'd gotten shot.

Diving deep into the Force she pushed away memories of what had been. Thinking of them would only rekindle her pain and sow the seeds of bitterness, perhaps even hate. So she meditated and thought of nothing.

Time drifted away from her. There was only the moment now. And there was peace and security and calm…

At some point, something pulled her away from her blissful state. Something pulled her back inside herself. And then when she was grounded back in reality, she opened her eyes.

"Hey Darra, I found something neat," Ferus grinned widely.

Darra stared blankly at him. Ferus didn't smile much, not since he turned six and put every ounce of energy into becoming the ideal Code-bound Jedi. Yet here he was, smiling like a four-year-old Initiate who had done something he thought was incredibly clever.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Ferus?" Darra asked.

"What?" Ferus blinked in utter puzzlement.

"Never mind," Darra yawned. "What is it?"

"Come with me," Ferus beckoned and scampered out of the cockpit.

With a groan, Darra levered herself out of her chair and trudged after him. He led her to the back of the shuttle to the cargo compartment. That meant they had to pick their way through the dark passenger compartment without waking any of the younglings up.

When they got to the cargo bay, Darra immediately noticed that there were several new crates and cases of food. There were a few other boxes that might be food, but weren't clearly marked, so they could really be anything. And then there was a stack of thin stained mattresses that hadn't been there before.

"Mattresses?" Darra blinked, not immediately catching the significance of their presence.

"Yeah, I guess the store that was selling them flooded or something and they all got water stains, so they were throwing them out." Ferus explained excitedly. "I managed to salvage these ones. Now we don't have to sleep on the floor or in chairs!"

"And it's all free," Darra murmured. Then she flashed him an ecstatic grin. "You're a genius!" She declared and embraced him.

Ferus stiffened up before tentatively returning the hug. "Um, thanks."

She hung onto him a little bit longer before remembering that Ferus was not a touchy-feely guy and then she quickly let him go. "Sorry," she cringed.

"That's fine," Ferus swallowed uncomfortably, not looking at her. "Here, help me move these."

Together, the two of them began distributing the discarded mattresses. Darra would carefully pick up the sleeping younglings and then place them on the mattresses that Ferus put down on the floor. Then she would tuck them in with whatever blankets they had to keep them comfortable and warm.

Once all the children had been relocated and rearranged, there was only a single mattress left over. Ferus levitated it over the sleeping children, which was easier than trying to carry it, and then brought it into the cockpit. He then settled it just behind the pilot and co-pilot seats and in front of the door. It just barely fit.

"There," he nodded in satisfaction.

"Perfect," Darra nodded, then cringed slightly. _It's kind of small though. We'll probably have to take turns using it…_

"Well, enjoy it. I still have a few things left to do." Ferus sighed. "I should be back before the sun comes up."

"Alright," Darra yawned. "Be careful," she warned, flopping down on the mattress to test it out.

"I will," Ferus promised before vanishing again.

Darra yawned again and curled up on the mattress. Sleep couldn't sleep yet, but she could certainly enjoy it. Letting her eyes close, she sighed in absolute bliss.

_Mattress I have missed you so…!_

_

* * *

_

Ferus was exhausted, but he didn't dare rest yet. He had finished stealing what he'd decided to steal and now it was time to leave. Only when they got into hyperspace could he rest.

Hidden inside his coat were a few bags full of jewelry. Early on he found that jewelry was the best to steal because it was easy to pawn and pawn for a decent amount of credit. It was also hard to trace compared to other valuable things like electronics.

When he went on the hunt for non-food items, he would stalk out several stores, preferably chain stores so that he didn't hurt independent family shops. Then, with liberal use of the Force, he'd take some jewelry from each. Never the most expensive, unique pieces, or the cheapest, but the unremarkable items in the middle were fair game.

Yawning, he picked his way through the city streets, heading back to the spaceport and his shuttle. Up above the black sky was turning gray as morning approached. But it was still so late, or early, that very few beings were around.

Thankfully he didn't have much further to go. Soon he would be off the planet and safe. Just a few more minutes…

Feeling an unexplained stab of uneasiness, he picked up his pace slightly. Whatever was wrong didn't feel particularly close by, but something _was_ wrong. It was best to get back and gone as quickly as possible.

He jogged aboard the shuttle and dumped his take in a compartment in the cargo bay probably meant for spare parts. Then he picked his way through the crowded passenger compartment and into the cockpit. He almost tripped over Darra, who was sprawled out on the mattress and out cold, as he stepped through the door.

Shaking his head, he slipped into the pilot's seat and started the ship up. He placed a call to the lonely being left in charge of the tower for the graveyard ship and asked for take-off clearance. While he waited to receive that, he went into the NavComputer to see where Darra wanted to go next.

_Lots of choices this time._ He noted with some surprise. Studying all the possible choices, he ended up using the Force to pick the one that felt the best. As he locked in his selection, he got his clearance.

Thanking the tower, he lifted off and gently climbed through the atmosphere. There was no need to climb faster, if he did he risked waking someone up. A steep climb at this time of day also made him look suspicious.

Outside of the atmosphere, he saw what was making him feel so uneasy. A Star Destroyer, now painted pure white instead of gray and red, was moving into orbit over the planet. The Empire was moving in here.

Holding his breath, he refused to deviate his course. He just kept on flying, aiming for the hyper-limit. The Force was with him and the Star Destroyer did not hail him or pay him any mind at all. And he made the transition into hyperspace without incident.

Releasing the breath he'd been holding, he sank back into his seat with a gusty sigh. That had been too close for comfort. After this leg of hyperspace, he'd alter the course, just in case.

After making sure that everything was set, the autopilot properly engaged and everything, he stretched and made himself comfortable. He stayed in his chair, the same place he'd slept for months, instead of heading for the mattress. Darra was there already and he didn't want to crowd her. It would just be too awkward anyway.

_Now I can sleep…_


	11. 10: Discovering

**Chapter 10**  
_Discovering…_

Bruck skulked around in the shadows of Nar Shaddaa. He had no mission, no direction; all there was was to stay alive. Or at least he hadn't until yesterday.

Yesterday evening he'd found himself in the company of a disgruntled programmer. The musky Rodian had been fired from his position in a respected computer firm because it had suddenly fallen out of favor to employ non-Humans in the Empire. Now the bitter alien was on his way back to his family on Rodia so that he could try and start over.

After sharing several drinks with the green creature, the Rodian's lips were loosened enough to reveal some interesting things. His company had access to high-security areas of Imperial data. And, bitter over his firing, he had used his computer skills to slice into heavily encrypted data vaults and copy sensitive and potentially damaging files.

Intrigued by this revelation, Bruck had used some Force persuasion on the drunken Rodian to convince him to share his stolen data with Bruck. The tanked Rodian agreed, of course, and happily made copies for Bruck. He took the disks away to his rented room to study them in private, leaving the bitter sloshed alien to stew on his own.

Some of what the Rodian had stolen was worthless. Some of it was mildly interesting. But a few memos and transcripts were absolutely damning.

And in that information, Bruck found his mission. He needed to find a group of Jedi, the bigger the better. Then he needed to show them what he'd found. It had the potential to change everything. It hinted at a conspiracy, not against the Jedi from outside, but one from _within_…

_

* * *

_

Siri sat on a boulder on one of Ord Mantell's famous pink sand beaches. It wasn't one of the larger, more popular beaches, but she was by no means the only person there. She wasn't here to swim in the brilliant aquamarine sea though; she wasn't dressed for it.

She'd drifted to Ord Mantell on a whim. There was no Imperial presence here and it was known as a good place to vacation, and a good place to go if you don't care to be found. It seemed like as good a place as any to figure things out.

It had been nearly two weeks since her secret visit to Kamino. Two weeks since she'd been entrusted to guard information smuggled from the white domes of Tipoca City. Two weeks since she'd become the care-taker of a Force-sensitive Kaminoan infant. That was a lot to figure out.

A soft gurgling, barely audible over the constant rushing sound of the waves against the shore, drew her eyes from the horizon to the young being sitting in her lap. The Kaminoan baby, Noma Su, gazed up at her with his enormous dark eyes. He stared at her for a minute, then jammed his fingers into his tiny mouth and gurgled a laugh.

Noma looked very different than the adult Kaminoans that Siri had seen in Tipoca City. His skin was a much darker gray and he had only a hint of the small dark crest he would sport upon sexual maturity. His limbs were stubby and chubby instead of long and willowy and his neck was much shorter than it would eventually become.

Being an infant, he lacked the smooth, graceful movements displayed by the adults. He wriggled and squirmed just like everything kind of baby she'd ever observed. How his behavior would change as he grew was a mystery, though.

Siri grinned at the baby and bounced him on her leg. "Are you having fun out here Noma?"

Noma gurgled delightedly again and flailed the one hand that wasn't jammed in his little slit of a mouth.

"I think you are," Siri nodded. "Do you like looking at the ocean?" She asked, pointing at the gently breaking waves. "You came from an ocean planet, you know. But it wasn't as nice as here. It's very stormy there."

Noma stared up at her with rapt attention, his large eyes unblinking. Siri had no idea he was learning language already of if the sound of her voice merely fascinated him. Regardless, it was never too early for any sentient being to learn, and so she did her best to teach him.

"It always seems to storm on Kamino." Siri continued. "There was a lot of wind and rain and I never once saw any land. All the houses there were on tall stilts high above the ocean and–"

Two familiar presences prickled at the back of her mind. Siri perked up and looked around as she tried to identify just who was coming. She saw them moments later and a wide grin split her face.

"Hello Siri," Obi-Wan greeted cheerfully as he came up alongside her. "Fancy meeting you here!"

"Fancy meeting _you_ here," Siri snorted. "I can't see you ever taking a vacation. I bet this was all Garen's idea."

Obi-Wan looked rather embarrassed. "Um…"

"It was, wasn't it?" Siri smirked triumphantly.

"What is that?" Garen asked, pointing to Noma.

"What?" Obi-Wan blinked, following the invisible line that came from Garen's pointing finger. "That reminds me of the Kaminoans." He said after a moment.

"It is," Siri replied.

"How did you get it?" Obi-Wan asked after a few minutes of shocked staring.

"Your old pal Lama Su gave him to me." Siri said dryly.

"You went to Kamino?" Obi-Wan gaped.

"Yes," Siri shrugged.

"And you weren't detected by the Empire?" Garen asked.

"Nope, Kamino's _lovely_ weather has its advantages." Siri smirked.

"Why did you go to Kamino in the first place?" Obi-Wan inquired.

"An old contact of mine passed along a rumor that the Kaminoans sought a Jedi's assistance." Siri replied.

"Why did they want to meet with a Jedi?" Obi-Wan frowned.

"They wished me to smuggle some things out from under the Imperial's noses." Siri answered, shifting the wiggling Noma on her lap.

"They wanted you to smuggle out a baby?" Garen blinked.

"They wanted me to take some information and a Force-sensitive baby off their hands." Siri said.

"That's Force-sensitive?" Obi-Wan asked, squinting curiously at the child.

"Yes, he is." Siri nodded.

"What's his name?" Garen inquired.

"Noma Su," Siri informed them.

Obi-Wan appeared intrigued and studied the alien infant thoughtfully. "Can we see that information they gave you?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Siri grinned and stood up, balancing the baby on her hip. "Please follow me."

_

* * *

_

Obi-Wan sat uncomfortably in the co-pilot's seat of Siri's old Corellian shuttle, reading the files that Siri had picked up on Kamino. He could feel Garen leaning over his shoulder so that he could read the text on the screen. Siri sat in her pilot's seat, holding a dozing Kaminoan baby in her lap, also reading the display.

He could never imagine Siri with a baby. She had always had a rather aggressive nature for a Jedi. In their youth he always had to be the one to slow her down and keep her from getting into a fight she couldn't handle.

And now she had a baby. It wasn't hers, it wasn't even Human, but she didn't seem to be bothered by it at all. Siri appeared to have adjusted perfectly to caring for an infant and the two of them seemed quite well bonded to each other. Obi-Wan never thought that he'd see anything like it. Not from Siri anyway.

"Here, there's a recording!" Garen pointed.

Sure enough, there were several audio recordings attached to the end of the document. The file had given a great deal of information about the encoding to the secret command, Order 66, that had brought doom on the Jedi Order. The audio recordings probably dealt with the same subject.

"Interesting," Siri murmured and activated the first audio file.

There was a faint crackle of static and then the ship's speakers began to play the recording…

"…_So we shall teach them to associate lightsabers with the Jedi as that is the most obvious uniquely Jedi trait."_ A smooth masculine voice, probably a Kaminoan scientist, was saying.

"_That is not necessarily true,"_ a rich deep voice, Count Dooku, interrupted. "_There are others who use lightsabers that are not Jedi."_

"_Do you wish the clones to be able to distinguish between them Lord Tyranus?"_ Another Kaminoan scientist asked.

"_Yes, only the Jedi are to be effected in the contingency plan,"_ Dooku replied.

"_Then what sets the Jedi apart from these other lightsaber wielders?"_ The first scientist asked.

"_The Sith, another group who uses the lightsaber as their weapon of choice, use only red blades. The Jedi never use red, they use all other colors. That, I believe, is the simplest way for non-Force-sensitives to tell the two apart."_ Dooku explained.

"_And in the event that Order Sixty-Six is to be executed, how are these Sith to be treated?"_ The second scientist inquired.

"_If the Jedi prove themselves to be treacherous and the contingency plan is activated, the Republic will turn to the Sith for assistance. If Order Sixty-Six is given, the clones must look to the Sith for leadership instead of the Jedi."_ Dooku responded.

"_These Jedi seem dangerous. Is it wise to trust them with command of your army in the first place?"_ A third scientist asked.

"_They can be dangerous,"_ Dooku agreed. "_But they have served the Republic faithfully for generations upon generations. It is only recently that they have given subtle hints that they may be considering a grab for power. We hope that they will not give into the temptation and remain loyal, but if they don't…well, steps must be taken."_

"_How will you know if they become a threat to your Republic?"_ The third scientist inquired.

"_We will know. As we speak, an agent is being implanted into the Jedi Order, a loyal Sith, Lord Vader, who will keep an eye on the Jedi without their knowing. If they turn against the Republic, he will report it."_ Dooku told them.

"_We understand,"_ the first scientist replied. "_We shall begin the conditioning program within the week…"_

There was another buzz of static and the recording ended. The cockpit was filled with a heavy cold silence. The Kaminoan baby, Noma, began to whimper as he sensed the rising tension in the confined space.

"_Lord_ Vader?" Siri said coldly, pinning Obi-Wan with an accusing stare.

_Blast it all!_ "He was never a Sith Lord, that would violate the Rule of Two." Obi-Wan frowned.

"Wait, there's something to this?" Garen gasped.

"I knew there was something fishy about his records." Siri scowled.

"What about his records?" Garen asked.

"They're incomplete and probably falsified." Siri replied. "The Council let him in."

"_What?_" Garen choked.

"Now I want to know why." Siri glared challengingly at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan slumped in his seat with a sigh. "We let him in because he was running away from them. He wanted out and if the Sith caught him he would be severely punished, perhaps even killed, for his defiance."

"I seriously doubt that he ran away." Siri scoffed. "I suppose the Council has forgotten that the most dangerous quality of the Sith is deception."

"Let it alone Siri," Obi-Wan sighed. "There's no point in arguing about it now."

"There is no argument; the Council doomed us all with their misplaced mercy." Siri grumbled bitterly. "Thanks a lot."

"He had nothing to do with what happened." Obi-Wan replied, struggling to stay calm.

"I'm certain he didn't." Siri snorted sarcastically.

"He didn't," Obi-Wan insisted. "I reviewed the security holos."

"Inaction can be just as deadly as action." Siri shot back.

"You were there Siri, what did you see him do?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I was separated from him early on in the battle." Siri replied. "I didn't see him do much more than claim that we were all doomed and then defend himself because he didn't have the special red lightsaber that would mark him as clone-friendly."

"You're just going to be stubborn about this, aren't you?" Obi-Wan grumbled.

"I'm not being stubborn, I'm being realistic." Siri retorted.

"You're being stubborn and closed-minded." Obi-Wan insisted. "If he wasn't Force-sensitive, he would just be a troubled young man and you would be more forgiving of him."

"I'm being realistic." Siri repeated stubbornly. "He isn't some Force-blind kid who fell in with the bad crowd; he's a dangerous man with a dangerous Dark power. He's not to be trusted."

"Fine, I give up." Obi-Wan grumbled. He was in no mood to get in a shouting match with Siri. It would only make the wide-eyed baby cry. "Just don't attack him the next time you see him."

"No promises," Siri muttered.

"And you used to like him." Obi-Wan mumbled to himself, shaking his head.

"Remember what I said about Sith and deception." Siri growled back.

"He isn't a Sith," Obi-Wan sighed in annoyed frustration. "He never willingly chose that path, he was forced down it."

"No one is forced down the Dark Path." Siri retorted.

"He was," Obi-Wan replied. "Give a frightened boy the choice between the Dark Side and death, and he'll probably choose the Dark Side."

"Death is preferable to the Dark Side." Siri shuddered.

"You're thinking like a Jedi, Siri." Obi-Wan shook his head. "He wasn't raised like we were. He lived a hard life, a survival of the fittest type existence. There was no comfortable, sheltered childhood in the Temple crèche and Initiate dorms for him. He was born a slave in the Outer Rim!"

"He was a slave?" Garen breathed.

"Yes, he was. Count Dooku bought him and carried him off, away from his family and everything he'd ever known for a new life of suffering in Darkness." Obi-Wan said. "And in case you were curious, Siri, that's how he got those whip scars you wanted to know so much about." He added.

Siri bit her lip, but said nothing. She couldn't find any way to disprove Obi-Wan now. But he could tell that she still wasn't buying it. 'Vader' was still mired in the mortal enemy category in her book.

"There's nothing that I can say that will convince you to give him the benefit of the doubt, is there?" Obi-Wan grumbled with a sigh.

"No," Siri replied firmly.

"Show us," Garen suggested suddenly. "Show us what makes you believe that he's worthy of our trust."

"Fine," Obi-Wan agreed. "I'll show you."

He closed his eyes, settled back into the chair, and focused on remembering…

_

* * *

_

_Obi-Wan meandered through the busy streets of Coronet with no particular destination in mind. Normally he would be in one of the meditation gardens at this point in the day, meditating. But he felt inexplicably restless and so had gone for a walk to relieve the urge. Exercise was good for him anyway._

_As he wandered in the slums section of the city, made of up grimy, crumbling buildings and cracked streets and populated by the poor and homeless, he spied something. There was a young Human stumbling down the street who mysteriously captured his attention. He didn't look like he belonged her and he looked rather ill._

_Feeling concerned he cautiously approached the teenager for a closer look. The young man was oblivious to his presence as he staggered doggedly onward to some unknown destination. And then he started to fall so Obi-Wan caught him by his arm and helped support him._

"_You should not be out when you are so ill. Where is your home?" He asked, concerned._

"_Why d'you care?" The teen managed between hard swallows._

"_I sensed your distress and felt compelled to help." Obi-Wan shrugged._

"_Whatever," The scruffy-looking teen gulped and tried to pull away._

_Obi-wan didn't let him go. "Please, where is your home? I will escort you there." He offered._

"_Y' can't." The teen muttered thickly, looking decidedly ill._

"_Are you running away?" Obi-Wan asked gently._

"'_m gunna…b-be sick." The boy gasped, swaying._

_Obi-Wan paused for a long fraction of a second. "This way then," he ordered sharply and managed to haul him to a nearby alley where he wouldn't make quite so much of a mess._

_They barely made it off the street when the boy was quite spectacularly sick. He retched and heaved until nothing more would come up and then he retched and heaved some more. When he finally stopped, his knees shook so badly that he nearly collapsed and he broke out into a cold sweat. _

"_Feel better?" Obi-Wan asked softly._

"_N-no." The teen panted._

"_Will you tell me where you live?" Obi-Wan asked again._

"_No." The boy replied, managing a firmer tone this time._

"_Are you running away from home?" Obi-Wan repeated._

"_Maybe," the teenager cautiously admitted._

"_Well then, I shall take you to child services and have them look after you." Obi-Wan decided._

_The teen went stiff and glared dangerously at Obi-Wan. "I am not a child!" He rasped out slowly and deliberately._

"_How old are you?" Obi-Wan inquired._

"_I'm fifteen!" The teen snapped back._

"_Eighteen is the local, and galactic, age of responsibility; therefore you are still a child." Obi-Wan calmly pointed out._

"_Don't care, 'm not goin'." The boy snarled defiantly._

"_Please calm down–" Obi-Wan began._

"_Don' you tell me t' calm down!" The teen cried, his voice ragged and bordering on hysterical._

"_Please–" Obi-Wan tried again._

"_Lemme go!" The boy almost wailed and he began to struggle against Obi-Wan's grip._

_The boy's struggle wasn't much. He was too weak to put up a real fight. But then he gasped in agony and passed out, crumpling to towards the ground without warning._

_Obi-Wan thanked his Jedi reflexes as he managed to catch the young man as he suddenly toppled forward in a faint. Despite his thin, small frame, he was surprisingly heavy. But Obi-Wan was able to keep his feet and keep the ill youth from crashing into the hard ground. With a sigh, he hefted the boy up and dragged him to the opposite wall of the alley and set him down gently to better examine him._

_While his clothing was shabby, it wasn't nearly in bad enough shape to mark him as a resident of this area. His boots looked to be of good quality, hinting of at least a middle-class origin. And his shirt, pants, and hooded cape seemed to confirm that assumption, though they were very tattered and dirty, like he'd run through a few forests. Hidden from sight underneath his cape was a bag of some sort that probably held his most treasured possessions._

"_Yes, you certainly appear to be running away. But from what?" Obi-Wan mused, not expecting an answer from the unconscious teen._

_A hand to the boy's forehead confirmed that he was sick with a very high fever. If it got any higher, the boy would slip into delirium. He was also very pale and thin, suggesting that he hadn't eaten well lately. And then Obi-Wan sensed something odd. He lifted the boy's shirt and found a clumsy makeshift bandage tied around his middle, the left side of it was soaked through with blood. A quick peek under the bandage told Obi-Wan two things: it was badly infected, and he felt that there was a good chance that it had been self-inflicted._

"_Well young man, you have just earned yourself a trip to the hospital." He sighed sadly._

_Careful not to injure the boy further, he scooped him up as best he could and headed for the nearest medical clinic…_

_

* * *

_

_Obi-Wan leapt off the beleaguered gunship just moments before it became an expanding ball of fire. Vader was hard on his heels as he charged down into the dim cavern in hot pursuit of the ex-Jedi turned Sith Lord. Soon they found themselves in a hanger that housed a strange oval-shaped ship that Dooku was just starting to enter._

"_Going so soon Count Dooku?" Obi-Wan challenged, taking the spare saber into his hand. Vader stood at his shoulder, radiating anxiety._

"_Ah, Obi-Wan, how nice of you to see me off!" Dooku chuckled, calmly turning to regard his pursuers. "Oh and you've brought a friend along, too!" The elderly man smiled as he noticed Vader. Then the smile faded as he took a closer look._

"_You won't be going anywhere Dooku." Obi-Wan asserted, gripping the still inactive saber hilt with both hands._

"_Who is that with you?" Dooku murmured, totally ignoring what Obi-Wan had just said._

"_It doesn't matter." Obi-Wan snapped back._

_Dooku ignored Obi-Wan again, his focus solely on figuring Vader out. And then his dark eyes lit up with unsettling glee. "Oh my! Vader, my dear boy, is that you?"_

_Obi-Wan could feel Vader starting to panic._

"_It_ is _you!" Dooku chuckled. "Whatever are you doing up there dressed in that ridiculous costume? Don't tell me that's fooled anyone." The Count laughed harshly._

"_Shut up!" Vader snarled in a panic-strained voice._

"_Mind your tongue boy," Dooku chided. "You ought to be old enough to know better than to talk back to your superiors." His tone was light, but there was dark menace underneath._

"_Yeah, I 'ought to'." Vader sneered, trembling._

"_Mind yourself," Dooku growled warningly. "I know you know better."_

"_Stuff it! I don't listen to you anymore!" Vader snapped, his right hand clutching the hilt of his Jedi lightsaber._

"_I see," Dooku replied icily. "Obi-Wan, what has this miserable little desert rat told you?"_

_Obi-Wan was intrigued at the mention of 'desert rat' but he didn't have much time to ponder it. Apparently that little insult was enough to make Vader snap. The boy lunged forward to attack the elderly Count in a blind rage._

_Before the boy even activated his lightsaber, the Count took him down. A blast of blue lightning hit Vader and knocked him into the hard rocky wall. Vader was left barely conscious, writing in pain and smoking._

_Obi-Wan winced at the sight of it. He'd tried to keep the boy from attacking. The only chance they might have for success was if they attacked together. But before he could even open his mouth, things had already completely gone down the tubes._

_Shaking his head, Obi-Wan hurried to interpose himself between the semi-conscious Vader and Count Dooku. No matter what happened here, he had a duty to protect this boy with his life if necessary. Only an order from the Council could end this mission._

_With a sneer, Dooku fired another burst of lightning towards him, but he snapped his lightsaber up to deflect it. Annoyed, the Count tried again, with the same unsuccessful result. Nearly scowling now, Dooku unhooked his odd curved saber hilt and prepared for a duel._

"_Really, Obi-Wan, what has he told you?" Dooku asked._

"_Very little, I'm afraid," Obi-Wan shrugged, holding his lightsaber in a defensive position. "Shall we begin?"_

"_If you insist." Dooku chuckled darkly, activating his saber._

_The instant the ruby red blade was fully extended, the Count struck. The man may be old, but he had the power of the Force behind him and so he had the strength, speed, and agility of a much younger man coupled with the experience his age afforded him. That left Obi-Wan hard-pressed to keep up._

_But the Force was with him too. That's probably the only reason he hadn't died by the third swing. It guided his own swings that countered and parried. If he lost focus, even for an instant, he was a dead man._

"_Come now, Obi-Wan, you disappoint me." Dooku taunted as his red-bladed saber swept in elegant arcs without wasting a single movement._

_Dueling was like a fancy dance for him, and he was a master at it. Fighting with him made Obi-Wan feel like an Initiate trying out a lightsaber for the first time. Dooku could probably keep this up for hours. Obi-Wan, on the other hand, wasn't sure if he could keep it up for five more minutes._

_And then it happened. Dooku found a hole in Obi-Wan's defense. The red blade slipped down and burned him across his thigh. That sent him collapsing to the floor and opened him up for another strike, this one across the upper arm on the same side. Overwhelmed by the shock and pain, his lightsaber fell from his hand and skittered a few feet away._

"_This is the end, I'm afraid." Count Dooku sighed, sounding appropriately apologetic. He raised his saber high overhead in preparation for the final fatal strike. "It was a pleasure dueling with you, young Kenobi. A pity that you didn't last longer, though."_

_Obi-Wan swallowed hard, closed his eyes, and waited for the strike to fall…_

_It didn't fall. Instead there was the harsh crashing, crackling sound of two lightsabers locked together. Obi-Wan slowly opened his eyes and looked up to see what was going on._

_Vader was there. He had his blue-bladed lightsaber locked against Dooku's crimson one, holding off the death blow. Obi-Wan could only gape at the unexpected scene._

"_Brave of you boy, but I'd thought you'd learned your lesson." Dooku managed after a moment._

"_Well, I_ am _a slow learner." Vader snorted. "But you already knew that."_

_Then Vader knocked Dooku's blade aside, slashing a few more times to press the old man back, away from Obi-Wan. Dooku frowned, but retreated for the time being, allowing Vader to have his way. And then the two of them began the deadly dance of the duel._

_Obi-Wan knew Vader probably wouldn't last long on his own, but being injured he was no longer any help. Catching sight of his dropped weapon, he got an idea. Somehow focusing around the pain in his arm and leg, he called the saber hilt to his hand._

"_Here!" Obi-Wan cried and tossed it to Vader who turned just enough to catch it._

_Vader switched on the second blade and turned on the pressure. At first the second lightsaber seemed to give him the edge. He could attack with one blade and defend with the other. And the Count appeared to be pushed on the defensive. But then Dooku sliced through the emitter on Obi-Wan's replacement saber and proved that he was still the master here._

"_Enough of this foolishness. Put that saber down and come with me." Dooku commanded, backing off slightly._

"_Weren't you listening_ old man_? I don't listen to you anymore." Vader growled, pressing the attack and accidentally slicing through a power cable, causing the lights to flicker._

"_All I see is a foolish little child blindly throwing everything away out of spite." Dooku fired back coldly, circling around in the dark lit only by his blood-red blade._

"_And all_ I _see is a crazy old man who is in desperate need of a reality check!" Vader bit back._

_Dooku looked furious, but managed to hold himself back. Briefly. "You have a great destiny before you–"_

"_Save it for someone who cares!" Vader interrupted._

"_So be it," Dooku growled, "you've made your choice."_

_Then the duel intensified. Dooku held nothing back now, slashing and stabbing faster and faster. Vader now appeared to be struggling to keep up. Making any attacks of his own was impossible. And then he couldn't keep up anymore._

_Obi-Wan felt the breath driven out of him as he watched Dooku slice right through Vader's arm. The boy wobbled slightly, flailing for balance, and then went flying backwards as Dooku knocked him aside. He skidded over the floor and came to rest with his head lying across Obi-Wan's shins. Vader was out cold…_

_

* * *

_

_Obi-Wan limped painfully out onto the balcony and stood beside Vader. The young man was gazing blankly out the night sky. He didn't seem to be aware of anything around him and Obi-Wan brought him back to reality with a hand to his shoulder. Vader flinched at the touch and Obi-Wan wondered if the boy would hit him out of reflex._

"_Enjoying the stars?" Obi-Wan asked politely._

"_Huh?" Vader panted, glancing up at the stars in startled confusion._

"_I suppose not then," Obi-Wan shrugged. "Feeling any better?"_

"_Yeah, I'm feeling just_ great_!" Vader spat tensely, glaring over at the distant waterfalls._

"_I thought as much," Obi-Wan sighed softly._

_Obi-Wan turned his gaze skyward and stared up at the glittering stars. More than ever, he wished for Master Qui-Gon's guidance. His old Master of the Living Force would know how to handle this situation._

"_Let's go inside." Obi-Wan said finally._

_Vader nodded mutely and pried his fingers free of the balcony railing to follow. Obi-Wan limped slowly back to bed and gratefully settled back down in the bed. When he glanced back at Vader, he found the young man shifting anxiously from foot to foot, indecisive as to what he wanted to do._

"_Sit down," Obi-Wan said quietly. Vader obeyed, his eyes fixed on the patterned bedcovers. "Now, how does your hand feel?" He asked._

"_When…when I pay attention to it, it gets all tingly, like it's asleep." Vader replied reluctantly. "And when I…I make it move…it stings."_

"_That should pass in time," Obi-Wan assured him. "Patience."_

"_It's always patience!" Vader grumbled bitterly._

"_Yes, unfortunately." Obi-Wan sighed wryly._

_There was silence between them for a while and then Vader spoke again. "I don't like it," he mumbled childishly, "it's ugly." Obi-Wan made no comment and Vader spoke again. "It looks like they ripped the hand off a skeleton and gold-plated it. Is this really the best they could do?" His voice wavered on the question._

"_Yes," Obi-Wan murmured, "however, it could be worse."_

"_How can it be worse?" Vader snapped acidly._

"_The prosthetic might have not been a human-shaped hand at all, but a more simplistic droid claw. Or they might not have been a mechanical prosthetic, period." Obi-Wan calmly pointed out._

_Vader flexed the prosthetic, clenching his jaw. "Why did I have to be so stupid?"_

"_Everyone makes mistakes." Obi-Wan reminded him._

"_Should've realized he'd zap me like that. It was always his favorite thing to do." Vader mumbled. "But…I totally forgot about it."_

"_It has been a long time since you were exposed to him." Obi-Wan stated. "It's not surprising that your memory of him is not as clear as it once was."_

"_That's no excuse," Vader growled. "I should've waited instead of running in like a moron!"_

"_You're being too hard on yourself," Obi-Wan sighed. "What's done is done. Learn from the mistakes of the past; do not drown yourself in them."_

"_I know, I know." Vader's voice trembled._

_Obi-Wan swallowed a sigh as he saw a tear fall from Vader's bowed head. "Come here," he commanded gently._

_Obediently, Vader crawled over the bed to kneel beside him, his eyes still fixed downward. Obi-Wan slipped a hand under Vader's chin and forced his head up so they were eye-to-eye. He reached up with his other hand and rubbed at Vader's face with his sleeve to clear away the tear tracks that were forming on his young face._

_Vader blinked at him with glassy eyes and then let out a choked sob. He slumped forward and buried his face into Obi-Wan's shoulder and began to weep uncontrollably. Obi-Wan awkwardly embraced the young man and held him, hoping to comfort him somehow._

_The young man just kept crying, his entire body shaking with the force of his tears and pain. Obi-Wan began to worry that he'd make himself sick if he kept it up. But eventually he quieted down as he slipped into unconsciousness._

_Relieved, Obi-Wan tried to gently disentangle himself from his unconscious Padawan, but Vader wouldn't have any of it. Despite being asleep, he clung fiercely to Obi-Wan, refusing to be dislodged. Accepting his attempts at freedom as futile, Obi-Wan gave up and tried to make himself comfortable._

_Tonight was going to be…interesting…to say the least._

_

* * *

_

_Obi-Wan was so relieved. Finally the mask had come off! Now he could feel the Force again. And it felt_ so _good._

_Now the weary Jedi Master slumped against a tree trunk and relaxed. He'd just had a nice long drink of water, the best drink he'd had in just over a month. And though he still felt terrible, it wasn't as bad as before._

_Obi-Wan's eyes drifted closed as he waited and rested. His mind floated off into a light meditative trance. The warm shining Light flowed all around him, through him. Oh how he had missed this! He felt as though he'd been trapped in a nightmare for an eternity and was sudden now in heaven. It brought a faint smile to his face._

_Then the smile faded as worries that had piled up in the back of his brain tumbled to the forefront of his mind. What had happened during his imprisonment? How was the war going? Who was winning? And Vader, what had happened to him? How was he holding up on his own? Had he…Fallen?_

_Now frowning, Obi-Wan began to actively meditate. His awareness slowly spiraled outwards from his seated position at the base of the tree on Riflor. He tried to focus on reaching Coruscant where Vader surely was if he had remained with the Jedi, but his progress was slow and unsteady. He simply lacked the strength to hold his focus steady and strong enough. He kept at it though, it was important that he at least make contact so those at the Temple knew he was still alive._

"_Master?" A hoarse whisper. A presence at his side, hands on his shoulders, gently shaking. "Master? W-wake up."_

_Slowly, very slowly, Obi-Wan pulled out of his trance, never making it as far as he'd wanted. He opened his eyes to stare into another pair of eyes. They weren't Alpha's dark, nearly black eyes. They were a clear, pure blue, and glassy with unshed tears._

"_Master?" Vader whispered, his voice thick and raw._

"_Hello there," Obi-Wan blinked, "when did you get here?"_

_"A few minutes ago." Vader swallowed. "Wh-when did you get h-here?"_

"_A few hours ago, I think." Obi-Wan replied softly. "How are you?"_

"_I…I…I…" Vader choked, and then he abandoned all attempts at normal conversation and simply clutched onto Obi-Wan and sobbed._

_Obi-Wan flinched a bit as Vader's tight grip aggravated his injuries, but he didn't make any complaint. Instead he weakly patted the young man's back, doing his best to try and comfort him. He couldn't really tell if that was helping much, Vader just kept weeping, projecting almost overwhelming waves of anguish intermixed with relief. Then finally…_

"_Next time you decide to die on me, actually_ die _damnit!" Vader gasped between sobs. "I'm sick of crying over this!"_

"_I'll try and keep that in mind next time." Obi-Wan chuckled dryly._

"_You better," Vader sniffed, his shuddering sobs beginning to subside. "I hate crying…"_

"_I know," Obi-Wan sighed, "I know. Now how did you find me?"_

"_I…I'm not s-sure." Vader mumbled into Obi-Wan's shoulder. "I…felt you and…and I c-came to find you… Missed you. It-it hurt."_

_Obi-Wan was puzzled and slightly troubled by that response. It made no sense. Vader should not have been able to locate him so quickly. He shouldn't have been able to sense him so clearly over so vast a distance. And while missing him was normal, when Vader mentioned pain Obi-Wan sensed it was more complex than that, and that shouldn't have happened. But he said nothing about it, deciding to worry about more when he had the energy to do so._

"_I'm sorry," Obi-Wan apologized softly. "I didn't mean to disappear and upset you."_

"_I know," Vader sighed, reluctantly leaning away from Obi-Wan to rub the sleeve of his cloak over his damp eyes. "I-I feel better now, though."_

"_Good," Obi-Wan smiled weakly. "Glad to hear that."_

_Vader rocked back on his heels and looked Obi-Wan over. His expression slowly darkened as it seemed he didn't like what he was seeing. "You look like hell Obi-Wan," he said finally. "What happened to you? Who did this to you?"_

"_Then I suppose I look nearly as bad as I feel," Obi-Wan shrugged limply. He purposely ignored the two questions._

_Vader didn't seem willing to let it go. "You didn't answer my questions."_

"_It doesn't matter right now." Obi-Wan replied, brushing the questions aside._

"_Answer me," Vader demanded, his voice icy and brittle._

_Obi-Wan calmly looked into Vader's eyes, now slightly red-rimmed and swollen from crying. "It's not important right now." He responded. "What is important is that you, I, and Alpha get back to Coruscant as soon as possible."_

_ Vader's jaw tensed and it looked like he was going to argue, but he dropped the subject in favor of a new question. "Who's Alpha?" _

_ "He was one of the ARC troopers from Jabiim." Obi-Wan explained. "You may have worked with him once or twice." _

_ Vader looked thoughtful before shrugging. "Maybe. So is he around here?" _

_ "He's supposed to be. See if you can't find him and bring him back so we can leave." Obi-Wan sighed. _

_ "Yes Master," Vader groaned as he lurched to his feet to do as he was told. _

_ While Vader tracked down the absent Alpha, Obi-Wan closed his eyes again and worked to gather what was left of his strength. With Vader to escort them back to Republic space, they were set. All that was left to do was to get back together, get back in the fan-blade fighter, and lift off… _

_

* * *

_

_Vader was excited about something, though what that was, Obi-Wan had no idea. He was driving like a sane person, going exactly the speed limit, obeying all traffic laws, and everything. And that never happened. _

_ It made Obi-Wan highly suspicious. "You're up to something," he accused. _

_ "Maybe," Vader smirked, "but I promise it's a good something." _

_ Obi-Wan scowled at him skeptically. "Ugh, you're going to be the death of me, do you know that?" He sighed tiredly. _

_ "Oh don't say that Master," Vader cringed. _

_ "Why not?" Obi-Wan asked curiously. _

_ "I don't want you to die," Vader squirmed. "You're…you're the closest thing I've ever had to a father." He hesitantly admitted. _

_ Obi-Wan was startled by the admission. It was completely unexpected, giving him a surprise glimpse into Vader's murky past. He spent the rest of the speeder ride in silent contemplation of this new information. _

_ When they landed at Senator Amidala's building, Vader helped him out of the vehicle and smuggled him in a back door. There was a brief encounter with Captain Typho before he was whisked into the lift without the chance to say a word himself. And then it was off to the Senator's apartment to wait for her to return from shopping. _

_ Obi-Wan gratefully slumped down onto the Senator's loveseat with a weary sigh. It was sad, he felt wiped out and all he'd done was walk from the parking pad to the lift and to this couch. He was just so tired of being tired! _

_ "So I'm assuming that Senator Amidala is unaware of the fact that I am alive?" Obi-Wan muttered. _

_ "Yep. I thought about telling her, but I decided surprising her would be more fun." Vader grinned. _

_ Obi-Wan shook his head at his Padawan's strange antics. But, watching how comfortably the young man wandered into the kitchen, he wondered. And thinking back to the brief run-in with Captain Typho, he wondered some more. The Captain hadn't been surprised at all to see Vader come in for a visit. _

_ "Have you been visiting here often?" Obi-Wan asked. _

_ "Not…recently," came the muffled reply from the kitchen along with some rustling, clanging noises. "But just after Jabiim, yeah I did." _

_ "So, on your return to Coruscant, you sought out the Senator's company?" Obi-Wan frowned. From what he'd been able to tell and from what he'd heard, after getting along very poorly during the body-guarding assignment, they had a truce of sorts. He didn't think Vader was comfortable enough with her, and she with him, for him to just come over. _

_ "Not intentionally. Not the first time anyway." There was the brief sound of running water. Was he making caf or tea in there? "I was taking a walk and ran into Sabé. She needed some help bringing some take-out back for dinner so I helped out and ended up here. Then…she asked what had happened and, well, I kind of fell apart on her. And then I ended up spending the night." _

_ "Oh," Obi-Wan mumbled. Then a flicker of unease wormed its way into his gut. "You spent the night?" _

_ "Yeah." There was a long pause. "I slept on the couch." _

_ "Ah," Obi-Wan sighed in relief. "'The first time'?" _

_ "Padmé extended me the invitation to come over whenever, so I did." Vader reappeared from the kitchen. _

_ "And how often was that?" Obi-Wan asked. _

_ "Every afternoon the week before I was shipped out to Varonat with Master Mundi and Padawan Hett." Vader shrugged, plopping down next to Obi-Wan on the loveseat. "And once more after I brought you back." _

_ "Hmm," Obi-Wan stroked his beard. "So what were you making in there?" _

_ "Boiling water for tea," Vader replied. "Did you want caf?" _

_ "No, tea's fine." Obi-Wan smiled. "I never used to drink caf. But then war broke out and sleep was something I couldn't always afford." _

_ Vader chuckled, "how terrible!" _

_ "Yes," Obi-Wan murmured. As he waited for the tea to be ready, his mind drifted back to Vader's odd comment on the speeder ride over here. "So…you didn't have a father?" _

_ There was a long pause. "That's right. It was always just me and my Mom." Vader replied at last. _

_ "And you gave that up?" Obi-Wan asked hesitantly. This was the most he'd ever gotten out of the young man. He hoped he wasn't pushing too far. _

_ "Not willingly," Vader mumbled. "Didn't have a choice, wasn't anything she could do about it, or me." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, rubbing unconsciously at a spot on his left side, just below his ribs. "Can we talk about something else?" _

_ Obi-Wan nodded, "of course." _

_ The teapot whistled then, drawing Vader away to tend to it. Obi-Wan watched the younger man all but flee into the kitchen. And for the millionth time he wondered… _

_

* * *

_

_ Obi-Wan trekked to his Star Destroyer with Vader in tow. He was being dispatched to face General Grievous alone, but he'd much rather not. Or at least he wished that he could take Vader with him. But the Council needed Vader here more to watch the Chancellor. _

_ "You're going to need me on this one Master." Vader frowned as they reached the boarding ramp that led into the docked Star Destroyer. _

_ "Oh I agree. However it may just turn out to be a wild Bantha chase." Obi-Wan nodded cheerfully. _

_ Vader laughed a little at that, but his humor died quickly. "Master," he swallowed hard, "I've disappointed you. I haven't been very appreciative of your training." _

_ Obi-Wan was a bit taken aback by the sudden outburst. "You haven't disappointed me," he smiled reassuringly. "You are strong and you are wise, in your own way, and I'm very proud of you. I have trained you since you little more than a paranoid street urchin. I have taught you everything I know. And you have become a far greater Jedi than I could've ever hoped you would be." _

_ Vader gaped at him, not quite able to believe what he'd just heard. His eyes drifted down to stare at the gray, featureless duracrete under his boots. Swallowing hard he tried to make sense of what Obi-Wan had said to him. _

_ Obi-Wan patted his shoulder and started to leave to board his ship, but Vader caught him by his sleeve without looking up. Obi-Wan stopped and patiently waited to see what else Vader wanted. It took him a few minutes for him to gather himself and say what he wanted to say. _

_ Vader raised his head to look Obi-Wan in the eye. "My name is Anakin Skywalker." _

_ Obi-Wan was surprised, to say the least. He just stood their staring at the man he had worked with for years. And then he smiled and cheerfully shook Vader's – Anakin's – hand. _

_ "Well hello Anakin, it's nice to finally meet you." Obi-Wan teased. _

_ "Yeah," Anakin grinned weakly. "And when you come back, I've got a story or two for you." He winked. _

_ "I shall take care of this errand speedily then." Obi-Wan promised and then walked up the boarding ramp. _

_ "Obi-Wan!" Anakin called when Obi-Wan had reached the halfway point. "May the Force be with you." _

_ "Good-bye old friend." Obi-Wan smiled warmly. "And may the Force be with you!"   
_

_ Obi-Wan then continued his march up the boarding ramp and stepped inside the mighty warship. As the hatch sealed behind him he gazed back at it towards were Anakin stood. He meant what he said about taking care of Grievous swiftly. He was most intrigued about these stories that Anakin had promised him… _

_

* * *

_

Obi-Wan's eyes flickered open and he gazed at his friends. Both of them still seemed dazed from the glimpses he'd shown them. He stretched out and patiently waited for them to gather themselves enough to comment.

"Wow," was all that Garen could come up with.

Siri sighed. "Fine, for you, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and leave him alone."

"Thank you, Siri." Obi-Wan smiled slightly. "That's all I ask."

"Just don't expect me to like him or ask him to baby-sit for me." Siri grumbled, adjusting her grip on Noma, who had fallen asleep.

"I didn't say that you had to." Obi-Wan snorted at the mental image of Anakin baby-sitting. "Simply leave him alone if you see him, and pass along the message that I'm looking for him if you want."

"Fine," Siri shrugged, "now if you'll excuse me…" She left them alone in the cockpit, presumably to put Noma to bed.

"Wow," Garen mumbled again. Apparently he'd tuned out his and Siri's entire conversation.

"Yes," Obi-Wan chuckled wearily. "I think that sums everything up nicely."


	12. 11: Finding

**Chapter 11**  
_Finding…_

Ferus danced around the border between sleep and wakefulness. He was in a nice place now, warm and content and just aware enough to appreciate it. Smiling sleepily, he snuggled closer to–

_Wait a minute_, he frowned. Ferus opened his eyes and was greeted with a blurry view of bright red hair. _This isn't right…_

He stared blankly at this odd sight before his brain woke up enough to make sense of it. And the instant it hit him, he stiffened up in panic. **_No way!_**

Scrabbling desperately for answers, he struggled to remember the string of events the preceded his falling asleep. But once he had reviewed everything, he was left confused. There was absolutely nothing that he remembered that explained why Darra was cuddled up against him.

_Let me see,_ Ferus frowned, reviewing things again. _We landed really late and put the kids to bed. But Lelli'ah wasn't feeling well so Darra stayed up with her. And then I went to bed and she was still up…_

_Wait a minute._ Ferus blinked a few times. _Did she crawl into bed with me after I fell asleep? …Why would she do **that**?_

"Darra?" He swallowed nervously as his mouth went dry. "Darra?"

"Mm," Darra hummed, but didn't wake up.

"Darra," he choked, poking her in the side.

"Mph," Darra mumbled and somehow shifted closer to him.

Ferus felt like dying as her warm breath washed over his neck. "_Darra!_" He whimpered. _Oh Force I'm going to die!_

"Hm?" Darra sighed.

"Darra wake up," Ferus pleaded.

"What?" Darra mumbled.

"Wake up," he begged.

"Why?" Darra sighed. "Is the Empire coming?"

"Um, no. I-I don't think so?" He stuttered.

"Then shut up and let me sleep." She growled. "And next time you stay up with the sick kid."

'T-that's fine," he gulped. "But-but you have to use me as a pillow?"

"You're comfy," she mumbled into his shoulder, starting to drift off again.

Ferus shuddered as he became increasingly aware of what parts of his were in contact with what parts of her. "Darra please…" He swallowed hard.

"Shh," she sighed, her lips lightly brushing against his neck.

_Oh Force!_ He closed his eyes and worked hard to keep his breathing even. "Darra let go, I need to use the refresher." He lied.

"Alright," she grumbled and her arms sluggishly shifted so that he could get up.

It took some effort for Ferus not to bolt up off the mattress and run as far away as he could. He stiffly got up and stumbled slowly away, taking shelter in the tiny refresher. As soon as the door sealed behind him, he melted to the floor and did his best imitation of a puddle.

_I am never sleeping on the mattress ever again_, he swore. _Never ever._ _Not even if it looks like Darra will be pulling an all-nighter…_

_

* * *

_

Darra dozed contentedly on her mattress. Well, almost contentedly, she seemed to be missing something. She just didn't know what. But whatever it was wasn't important enough to wake up for, so she kept sleeping.

Then she felt a poke. Darra ignored it, sleep was so nice. But there was another poke, and another, and another.

"What?" Darra grumbled when she finally got around to rousing herself enough to deal with the poking.

"Aren't you going to eat breakfast with us, Darra?" A little girl's voice asked.

"Hm?" Darra rolled over and pried her eyes open to see Lelli'ah, the white Twi'lek girl bending over her. _I guess she's feeling better…_

"Aren't you going to eat breakfast?" Lelli'ah asked again.

"Yes," Darra yawned. "I'm coming, just give me a minute."

"Okay," Lelli'ah nodded and left.

Once she was alone, Darra considered rolling back over and going to sleep again. Then he stomach growled and demanded breakfast. Sighing sleepily, she picked herself up off the mattress and stumbled to the back of the shuttle for food.

Scrubbing tiredly at her eyes, she settled in amongst the children and groped around for breakfast. Blindly tearing into the first thing she grabbed, she munched on whatever it was as she tried to wake up. The lack of sleep from the previous night made it difficult though.

"Darra can we go to the beach today?" Marri, a quiet Human girl, asked hopefully.

"Yeah, the beach!" Eek chattered excitedly. "Can we go, can we?"

"Let me wake up first." Darra sighed, yawning. "Then I'll think about it."

"Alright," Marri nodded.

Eek deflated. "Oh."

Darra was too tired to reassure the dispirited Squib. The food was helping though and the haze was started to clear from her mind. She was starting to feel Human again.

"Alright," she sighed after she had finished eating. "I'm going to take a shower, and when I'm done, we'll see about a visit to the beach."

"Yay!" The younglings cheered.

"Now behave yourselves." Darra reminded them as she headed for the refresher.

"We will," they promised.

_I'm sure you will_, Darra sighed.

Again she wished for a real water shower, but there wasn't much she could do about it. Ultrasonic sound waves were better than nothing at all. It didn't leave her feeling completely clean though it kept her from smelling.

Once she was done and her tangled hair was wrangled into submission, she returned to the waiting children. Since they hadn't landed at a spaceport this time, but had set down out in the wilds of the planet, it was alright for the children to go outside. The only thing that was keeping them in was her. Ten pairs of eyes peered up at her hopefully as she came back into their view.

"Well, after careful consideration," Darra began. "We will…go to the beach."

"Hooray!" The younglings cheered.

"Now quiet down so we can go." Darra commanded.

They obediently went silent and formed up into a line like they had been taught since they were old enough to walk. Darra smiled and led them out of the shuttle into the fresh air. The new atmosphere added to the youngling's excitement, but true to their training they stayed calm and obedient.

Ferus had parked their shuttle in a small clearing in a forest near the sea. After scanning the area, Darra led them down a narrow path that ended at the nearby beach. When they reached the seashore Ferus was already there, meditating and the pure white sand.

"Now be careful," Darra cautioned. "Pair up and look after each other, and don't wander off too far. Stay where we can see you."

"We will," they promised and then scattered all over the beach in pairs.

Lydar Chase and Daano Ka, the Togruta boy, paired up and headed for a tide pool by the black rocks. Dirk Daan joined up with Eek the blue Squib and began playing chicken with the gently breaking waves. Little Biso Zhan clung to Marri Antilles' hand as she led him out from under the shade of the trees into the bright sunlight. Teena Dees sat down on the sand with Lelli'ah Hanaah and watched the sparkling water. And Tandor Vikk the Zabrak chased some native seabirds around while K'Khrah the Whiphid boy stood nearby and watched him.

Darra walked over and settled down beside the meditating Ferus. She didn't disturb him, it was rude to do so unless it was an emergency. Instead she closed her eyes and prepared to join him.

"So you're awake." Ferus murmured. Apparently he hadn't been really meditating.

"Yeah," Darra shrugged, glancing at Ferus out of the corner of her eye.

"I thought you were going to sleep all day." He snorted.

"Nah, they wouldn't let me." Darra replied.

"Right," Ferus nodded, his eyes still closed. He stayed quiet for a long time after that. The only sounds were the crashing waves, the bird cries, and the calls of the children as they played. And then he opened his eyes and spoke again. "I never thought that I would come here."

"What?" Darra frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I never thought that I would come to this planet, Hypondrix." Ferus elaborated.

"Oh?" Darra blinked, not following his logic at all.

"Do you remember when Kria wanted to test out her slicing skills on something more challenging than the exercises her Master was giving her, and so she sliced our records?" Ferus asked.

"Yeah, what about it?" Darra asked.

"When she gave me the disk with my records, I didn't turn it in to Master Siri right away." Ferus admitted. "I held onto it for a while. I even read some of it."

Darra gasped a little. "No way!" _Ferus breaking a rule and looking at something he shouldn't?_

"I didn't read all of it," Ferus muttered defensively. "But, from what I did read, it said that my home world was Hypondrix."

"Here?" Darra blinked. "Oh, now I get it. So where you born around here?"

"I don't know. I didn't look any further into it." Ferus shrugged. "I never thought I would come here. Hypondrix is a peaceful planet and it was unlikely that I would ever come on a mission here."

"Hm," Darra hummed. "What do you feel, now that you're here?" She asked curiously.

"It feels…familiar." Ferus said after a moment. "But it's not home."

"Well, I'm from Hapes." Darra grinned.

"Hapes?" Ferus frowned in concentration. "Isn't the entire Hapes Cluster dominated by some crazy matriarchy?"

"Where the men are second class citizens, completely dependent on their mothers and wives?" Darra smirked mischievously. "Yep, that's the one."

Ferus eyed her nervously. "Um…"

"Don't worry," Darra giggled. "That's about all I know of Hapan culture. I'm not about to try and boss you around or anything."

"Oh good," Ferus swallowed anxiously.

Darra shook her head and giggled at him. "The look on your face!"

"Oh stop it," Ferus grumbled, blushing slightly.

"I'm sorry!" Darra snickered, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Why do you always make fun of me?" Ferus sighed.

"Because you're so easy to make fun of." Darra shrugged, recovering her composure.

"That's not very nice." Ferus frowned.

"I know," Darra sighed, "but you forgive me, right?"

"Yeah," Ferus swallowed.

"Thanks," Darra smiled. "I must say," she glanced out at the deep blue sea, "you come from a very nice planet, Ferus."

Ferus snorted but didn't say anything to that.

Darra yawned and laid back in the bright warm sun. The heated sand felt nice and cushiony underneath her back. It was the perfect place to catch a nice nap…

_

* * *

_

Ferus sighed and gazed out at the clear blue ocean. The cool sea breeze smelled of salt water and the local variety of seaweed. And carried on the breeze were the soothing sounds of moving water, bird cries, and the occasional laugh or exclamation of the children.

Immersing himself in the moment he could forget. Forget the horrors of the war, the nightmare of the Temple Massacre, the strain of months of endless flight. Forget that he was a Jedi, a fugitive, a traitor. Here, now, he was just a man. A long lost Hypondrixan who had found his way back…

The Force seemed to embrace him here, more clearly than it ever had on Coruscant. It was like he was meant to be here. Like this was where he belonged. Or maybe it was because he was born here.

A strange hard-shelled creature scuttled across the sands towards him. He studied the odd thing as it zigzagged sideways on ten insect-like legs, waving three dark eyes around on stubby stalks. Vaguely he wondered what it was called.

"Master?"

Ferus glanced up to see Biso standing next to him. "Yes?"

"Why is the sky blue?" Biso asked.

_Crap._ "Um, I'm not sure of the exact details, but it has to do with how the light from the sun bounces off the upper atmosphere." Ferus replied.

"Oh," Biso frowned, disappointed by the dull answer.

"What did you think the reason was?" Ferus asked hesitantly.

"Well Eek said it's because there must be other blue Squibs here and they shed lots of fur and the wind carried all up high into the sky." Biso answered.

Ferus blinked and then had to work not to laugh. "No, that's not it."

"Oh good," Biso nodded. "Eek's fur makes me sneeze sometimes."

"Any other questions?" Ferus asked, hoping the answer was no.

Biso scrunched up his little face in deep thought. "Master, where do babies come from?"

At that very moment, Ferus wished that he had died in the Temple. This was perhaps the worst question any of the younglings could've asked. All he could do was stare blankly in horror at Biso's innocent questioning face.

"I guess you don't know either, huh?" Biso sighed when Ferus failed to answer him.

"Of course he knows," Dirk interjected, coming closer. "He's an adult and all adults know stuff like that. He just doesn't want to tell us."

"Doesn't want to tell us what?" Eek asked, skidding over to them.

"What, there's a secret?" Tandor asked, jogging over.

"What's going on?" Lelli'ah asked nervously, tugging on her white _lekku_.

In a few short minutes all ten younglings were crowded around him and intensely curious as to what was going on. The sudden concentration of noisy children interrupted Darra's nap and she slowly sat up and looked around at them. Ferus felt a headache coming on as his face began to burn in uncomfortable embarrassment.

"What's going on?" Darra frowned.

"I asked Master Olin where babies come from and he didn't answer so I thought he didn't know but Dirk said–" Biso began to hurriedly explain.

"Darra, will _you_ tell us where babies come from?" Dirk interrupted.

Darra had a similar reaction as he'd had. She stared at the younglings in mute dread and started to color in embarrassment. But she managed to recover herself and come up with a response.

"You're much too young to be worrying about that," Darra sighed. "When you get to be teenagers we'll tell you." She declared firmly.

"I bet it has to do with kissing." Tandor decided. "That's why Jedi don't kiss people."

"No," Teena frowned. "That can't be right. People who aren't Jedi kiss all the time and they don't always have babies."

"Maybe it's a special kind of kiss." Dirk guessed.

"What kind of kiss would that be?" Eek wondered.

"A kiss on the mouth," Lydar suggested. "Kisses on the cheeks or forehead seem more like family stuff, but kisses on the mouth are what husbands and wives do."

Ferus felt like choking. _No. No, no, no, no…_

"No, it's not kissing." Darra frowned, blushing profusely.

"I bet it is." Tandor smirked.

"It's not." Darra insisted.

"Prove it!" Tandor challenged.

Darra blinked, startled, then clenched her jaw determinedly. "Fine, I will."

Ferus frowned, confused. "How are you–"

He never got to finish his question. Not that he really need to ask it. Darra gave him the answer anyway. She kissed him…on the mouth.

It wasn't a quick half-second kiss either. She stayed there, kissing him for at least several seconds, though to him it felt longer. Then she backed off and made a show of looking around.

"Hm, I don't see a baby anywhere, do you?" Darra smirked.

"No," Tandor pouted, looking quite disappointed that the kissing theory had been disproved.

"Now, no more talk about this." Darra declared. "You can wait until you're teenagers to find out that particular mystery of life. Go on and play." She shooed them away with her hands.

Tandor trudged off a little despondently. The rest edged away, looking as stunned as Ferus felt about having witnessed two Jedi kissing. Ferus kept staring at Darra, feeling rather disoriented and lightheaded.

"Would you quit staring at me?" Darra grumbled once the children had scattered a sufficient distance.

Ferus somehow tore his eyes away from her and stared down at the white sand. "Sorry," he breathed faintly.

"Relax, Ferus, I'm never going to do that to you again." Darra assured him.

He wilted and curled up on the warm sands. "Oh," he mumbled.

There was a long pause that wasn't quite interrupted by the sounds of the younglings exploring the beach. "Don't tell me that…you _want_ me to kiss you again?" Darra choked.

_Fine then._ "I'm not saying anything," Ferus sighed, drawing swirls in the sand with a finger. He felt tingly and crushed at the same time.

Darra treated him to another long pause. "You've been away from the Temple too long Ferus. You're losing your edge."

Ferus closed his eyes and sighed. "Sure." _This isn't new, Darra. Not that you would've noticed…_

She said no more to him and he could sense her focus shift to watching the younglings play. Ferus just lay there and tried to meditate. The emptiness that meditation brought was a lot more attractive than the feelings he was experiencing right now.

_

* * *

_

Darra couldn't really look at Ferus for the rest of the day after that. Kissing Ferus hadn't been necessary and had been awkward, but it effectively silenced the bizarre debate over baby-creation theories. But had she known what she would've learned from kissing him beforehand, or even had some inkling of it, she never would have done it.

Knowing that Ferus had any kind of sex drive was rather disturbing to her. It was made worse to know that he apparently had some sort of attraction to her. It was almost like hearing a brother had a crush on his sister or something.

She'd grown up with Ferus since infancy. When they'd been small, they'd climbed into each other's beds to comfort one another or get comfort after a bad day or a nightmare. They'd been in classes together and gone on missions together. They'd been friends forever. And now after surviving the Temple Massacre and fleeing for months with a shuttle full of children, he suddenly had a crush on her?

It was just creepy…

"Darra, are you coming inside?" Ferus asked, making her jump.

"In a few minutes," Darra hissed stiffly.

"Alright," Ferus replied agreeably. "Don't stay out here too long, it's getting dark."

"I know," Darra swallowed uncomfortably.

Only when she felt him leave did she loosen up. Just feeling his eyes on her back had made her tense. And her heart was still racing a bit.

They'd left the beach hours ago for lunch and now it was nearly dinnertime. The sun had nearly set, leaving the sky a dark slate gray. Only a few rays of light made it through the trees, making it darker than it really was. A cool breeze rushed through the forest and made her shiver.

She didn't want to go inside the shuttle yet though. While it would mean she would get out of the cool outside air and be back in the company of the younglings. It would also mean returning to Ferus' company.

A wordless whisper of the Force got her to sit up straighter. Someone was coming. Another Force-sensitive. Someone she knew…

Darra got up and cautiously made her way towards the presences. She left her coat loose so she could reach into the crudely sewn inner pocket where she stored her lightsaber. All her senses were jacked up to high alert.

Peering around a bush, she gasped softly. "Barriss?"

The young Mirialan whirled around on her, dark eyes blazing. She looked radically different without her rather unique looking Jedi robes. Now she wore dark gray coveralls with a gray-brown jacket and gloves, and a pair of battered black boots. Her head was bare of its ever-present veil-like hood and now Darra could see her short-cropped dark hair.

"Darra?" Barriss frowned, scanning the surrounding trees but missing Darra in the shadows.

Darra stepped into clear view. "What are you doing out here?" She asked stupidly, stunned to see her old classmate alive and well after going so long without meeting another Jedi.

"Looking for you," Barriss replied, relaxing. "Not that I knew it was you, though."

"Oh," Darra blinked.

"Come with me," Barriss beckoned.

"Um, why?" Darra asked, still getting over the surprise of seeing an old friend.

"I'm going to take you to a safe planet where many other Jedi have gone. Don't you want to come?" Barriss asked.

"Oh," Darra nodded. "Maybe you should come with me first…"

_

* * *

_

Ferus was starting to get worried about Darra. He was also still kicking himself for the things he'd let slip that morning. He'd said much more than he'd meant to and if only she hadn't kissed him he'd never have said them.

Now she was avoiding him, barely speaking to him, and he could feel her pronounced discomfort every time he approached her. Their long friendship was now abruptly teetering on the edge. If he didn't find some way to fix things, they would probably end up parting ways and would never see each other again.

The problem she had with him (or what he suspected the problem was) was a problem of perception. She was used to looking at him the same way she always had, the way she'd looked at him since they were small children. He was a boy, fun to pick on, not terribly exciting to be around, and her friend.

But whereas her perception of him was frozen in time, his perception of her wasn't so static. He couldn't say the exact moment that his feelings toward her had changed. There was no date that sprang to mind. All he knew was that one day around the time that he turned sixteen, he stopped seeing a cute little red-headed girl with a splash of freckles on her face and started seeing an increasingly beautiful young woman.

That sudden shift in his thinking had horrified him. He tried to ignore it, bury it deep in the recesses of his mind just like how his Master had described in destroying her inappropriate feelings towards a childhood friend. But in spite of his efforts, the feelings persisted, haunting him at the worst moments.

When Darra had revealed her crush on Vader, it was like getting hit in the stomach by an out-of-control speeder. When she blatantly tried to flirt with the mysterious Jedi, he felt sick to his stomach. And now that she was completely rejecting him, he wished more than anything to wake up from this nightmare, for things to go back to the way they were.

Hanging his head, he sat in the passenger compartment with the younglings. They were practicing meditation right now and so he had to work harder to shield his emotions from them. He didn't want to have to answer any questions about why he was so sad.

He could hear the outer door opening and looked up, expecting to see Darra finally coming inside for the night. She appeared, but she wasn't alone. Padawan Barriss Offee was with her.

"Where did you get all these younglings?" Barriss frowned in surprise.

"Another Knight dumped them on us." Ferus replied a little numbly.

"Oh, hello Ferus." Barriss greeted. "I didn't see you over there."

"Hi," Ferus waved. "How have you been?"

"Better," Barriss frowned grimly. "But at least I made it off Felucia alive."

About this time the children, sensing someone new was near, came out of their trances and stared wide-eyed up at their new guest.

"Young ones, this is Padawan Barriss Offee," Darra explained to them. "She is Master Luminara Unduli's Padawan."

The children all gaped at her.

"Wow," Eek squeaked.

"Hello," Barriss bowed.

"Hello," all the children replied.

"Well, seeing as you have your own ship, I'll just be giving you directions," Barriss commented, glancing around.

"Directions?" Ferus repeated blankly. "Directions to where?"

"Directions to Sanctuary," Barriss replied. "The world where the Order will hide until it is safe to return…"


	13. 12: Sanctuary

**Chapter 12**  
_Sanctuary_

"I still can't believe you won this thing in a Sabacc game." Siri muttered as she toured Garen's new ride.

"Sometimes I can't believe it myself." Garen grinned.

"It almost makes me want to ditch my old shuttle and join up with you two." Siri mused.

"Almost?" Obi-Wan asked.

"After a week trapped in the same ship as you two, I'd probably be ready to kill you," Siri shrugged.

"As violent as ever, aren't you?" Garen winced. "You'd think taking care of a baby would mellow you out a bit…"

"It all depends on the situation," Siri replied with a slight smirk.

"Of course," Obi-Wan snorted.

Siri sighed and headed for the ship's cabins. She could sense that Noma, who had been napping was now awake. And he was rather hungry.

She found Noma gently flailing his little arms and legs as he lay on the bunk she'd left him on hours earlier. He wasn't crying yet, just whimpering and whining softly as he slowly realized how empty his stomach felt. Siri hoped that he'd hold off on the crying long enough for her to get his food ready.

Digging through her bag, she fished out some of the last cans she had of baby formula and the cheap plastic bottle she'd picked up shortly after Kamino. According to the information provided by the Kaminoans, there was a wide variety of baby formulas that would meet Noma's nutritional needs. Right now she was using a generic commercial formula designed for infant Snivvians.

Just as Noma really started to get fussy, she balanced him on her lap and stuck a full bottle in his mouth. Immediately soothed, Noma let his eyelids droop sleepily as he contentedly sucked on his lunch. Siri smiled slightly as she watched him.

Noma was a very sweet, well-behaved baby. He rarely cried and was slow to start crying when he did. And when he wasn't sleeping he was always smiley, or at the very least, content. Knowing what she did about the Kaminoans, she wondered if he'd been engineered to be this way.

_If I'm fortunate, I'll never have to worry about reining in a rebellious teenager later…_

As she was finishing up feeding the baby, a sudden shift in mood hit her. Noma wasn't attuned to it, so he made no fuss. But _she_ was attuned to it. Obi-Wan and Garen were disturbed by something. The instant Noma began to drift off for his short post-food nap, she set him down and strode to the tiny bridge to see what was wrong.

"What's going on?" Siri asked as she reached the bridge.

The three men huddled there turned at her voice. The first two she recognized, but the third was a stranger. She frowned at finding a strange man suddenly sharing the ship with them. She would've liked it if Obi-Wan or Garen had bothered to let her know this little detail.

"Siri, this is Nejaa Halcyon of the Corellian Council." Obi-Wan told her. "Nejaa, this is an old friend of mine, Siri Tachi. He's brought an important message with him. Apparently we've been recalled."

"Recalled?" Siri's frown deepened in confusion. "Recalled to where?"

Nejaa Halcyon was the one who answered here. "A place we've named Sanctuary…"

_

* * *

_

Darra shifted uncomfortably in the co-pilot's seat, struggling to ignore the man who was piloting the shuttle. Ferus was doing the same to her, but he had it a bit easier as he was busy piloting the shuttle through a maze-like nebula. Barriss Offee was either oblivious to the subtle tension that filled the cockpit or she was purposely ignoring it as she occupied herself with navigating. But Darra was quite aware of the tension since she, being the co-pilot, barely had anything to do unless Ferus inexplicably dropped unconscious and she had to take over flying.

Escape was within her grasp. This Sanctuary place sounded like a hidden haven for Jedi. Once they got there, she could leave Ferus' company and be free of the uncomfortable pressure she now felt in his presence. She could barely wait.

Ever since the visit to the beach on Hypondrix she'd been uncomfortable around her old crèche-mate. Whenever he was near her, whenever she felt his eyes on her, she felt…anxious…kind of shaky, most definitely not normal. It bothered her immensely that his mere presence could make her fall apart from the inside out the way he was. She desperately needed to re-center herself and being around him simply made it impossible.

Ferus probably needed a break from her too. He had always strived to be the best Jedi he could be, always considering the Jedi Code when he acted. His constant exposure to her wasn't helping his misplaced crush on her. When she was gone, he could work on getting over it.

Stubbornly staring out of the cockpit viewscreen, she focused all her attention of the magical colors of the nebula they were navigating. According to Barriss, the Sanctuary place there were seeking was hidden in the heart of this enormous cloud of dust and gas many light-years across in all directions. This colorful shield had hidden the planet now called Sanctuary for millennia until a ship of fleeing Jedi had stumbled over it quite by accident. The cloud of gas and dust was a barrier to all kinds of electronic sensors and transmissions and it even distorted the Force around it, making it 'Sith-proof'. It was the perfect planet for the floundering Jedi Order to hide and lick its wounds.

It was beautiful to look at, but kind of eerie. The dense cloud blocked all but the closest, brightest stars. And even those stars that could still be seen were distorted, reducing them to little more than hazy orbs of indistinct light. The odd light orbs only served to make the swirls of rainbow colored gas and the shadows it cast all the more surreal.

And then it opened up into a massive pocket of space large enough for an entire star system. A young bright star shone bright and clear at the center, and shadowy spheres of planets orbited slowly around it. She'd seen many different star systems while on missions with her Master, but the odd effect of being wrapped up in a nebula made this particular view rather unique.

"Wow," Darra breathed.

"You can say that again," Ferus agreed quietly and Darra blushed a bit at the sound of his voice.

"Impressive isn't it?" Barriss smiled. "Head for the third planet," she instructed.

Ferus obeyed and turned the _Theta_-class toward the indicated planet. After a good half an hour of flying, the planet finally started to look closer and some details came into focus. There was only one massive continent (at least that she could see) and a doubly massive ocean framing it on all sides. Bands of white clouds slowly skittered over the surface of the planet. There were no signs of cities or any large marks of civilization. It was beautiful and pristine.

Barriss gave Ferus some specific coordinates once they were close enough and he shifted their course accordingly. The shuttle shuddered as they breached the atmosphere and interacted with the planet's own field of gravity. And then, after piercing a bank of thick clouds, the ground came into view.

The landscape was covered in blue-green ferns and primitive trees. Life seemed new and fresh here, even without her being out in it yet. Darra smiled in anticipation as Ferus began the landing cycle.

"Here we are," Ferus sighed once they'd touched down.

"Gather up the children, I'll inform my Master that we're here." Barriss ordered, pulling out her comm-link.

Darra nodded silently and headed back into the passenger compartment. All ten children were sitting in their seats, barely containing their excitement. Eek was actually bouncing up and down in his chair as he impatiently waited to be let outside.

"Come on young ones," she smiled, "form your lines so we can go."

Immediately they all hopped up from their seats and fell into two lines of five in front of her. Darra smiled and led them to the boarding ramp. When Ferus and Barriss appeared, she keyed open the door.

The air that rushed in was warm and moist. It smelled of green and damp earth. There was the sound of rustling leaves as a breeze rippled by and the chirping of local insects, but not much else. It was very refreshing.

Barriss led them down the ramp and onto the ground. "Welcome to Sanctuary," she smiled slightly. "Please follow me."

Glancing around curiously, Darra followed after Ferus and Barriss through the ferns that surrounded their landing site while the children followed her. They'd landed in a wide river valley though now that they were on the ground she couldn't see the river. The vegetation was thick here, so she couldn't see very far ahead, but she could sense other Jedi.

And then they came to a much larger clearing. All sort of tents, some reinforced with wood and stone, were clustered around in small groups. Several different species were drifting around, some wearing Jedi robes and some not. They paused briefly to see who had just arrived, and then they looked away and went on with whatever it was they'd been doing.

Their guide continued on, unfazed by the silent stares and they had to pick up the pace a bit to catch up. Barriss led them through the sparse maze of tents and slightly more hardy structures towards a small hill near the middle of the shanty town. A few lone trees grew there and in their shade Jedi Master Luminara Unduli waited for them.

"Master," Barriss bowed.

"Padawan," Master Unduli nodded. "I see you've found some friends."

"Yes, I found them on Hypondrix; they have a shuttle, _Theta_-class." Barriss replied.

"How did you acquire this ship?" Master Unduli asked.

"We took it from the Temple hanger." Ferus answered.

"What of your Masters?" Master Unduli inquired, ignoring (or perhaps forgetting) the fact that Ferus was a Knight.

"I do not know what has become of Master Tachi, though I believer her to still be alive." Ferus replied.

"My Master has perished." Darra added quietly.

Master Unduli nodded slowly. "I see. Come; let us find a Master to watch the children and we will talk further…"

_

* * *

_

Obi-Wan did his bet not to squirm in his seat as Garen piloted his shiny new ship and Nejaa navigated. Siri and her young Kaminoan ward were in her own little shuttle, following behind them. And he, having nothing to do, worried.

When Nejaa had found them, before Siri had come to the bridge, he had brought a vague sort of warning with him. Rumors were flying among the gathered Jedi remnant, whispers of some sort of scandal. The look he'd given Obi-Wan when he'd brought the news had given him a very bad feeling. Something was going wrong and he felt it had to do with him.

Closing his eyes, he worked to expel his anxiety into the Force. He was a Jedi Master, not a nervous little Padawan. He would meet whatever awaited him on Sanctuary with calmness and acceptance.

But just as he was really getting into his meditation, they left the rainbow-shadow confines of the Shroud Nebula and reached the system of Sanctuary. It was a fascinating view and let that distract himself for a while. However, it didn't last long enough and soon they were landing.

Sanctuary was a young and primitive world, a consequence of being a satellite of a young star. The most advanced life forms here were ferns, primitive fern-like trees, large flying insects, and small lizards and amphibians. There was no native sentient life at all and that, along with its hidden isolation, made it ideal.

The air outside Garen's ship was warm and moist, very refreshing after breathing recycled ship air and the smoky atmospheres of more industrialized planets. The hike from the ships was pleasant enough. But that stopped once they reached the Jedi 'settlement'.

The Jedi there cast them wary glances, looks that turned almost angry or fearful when they caught sight of Obi-Wan. None of them said a word of greeting or bowed. They would simply turn away and continue on with their business. The sudden chill in the air made Obi-Wan's skin crawl.

To his relief, not all his encounters with other Jedi were so tense and frigid…

"Obi-Wan, you have come," Jedi Master and Council member Shaak Ti greeted with a slight bow as they approached her. "Thank the Force that Master Halcyon was able to find you."

"Master Ti," Obi-Wan bowed and wished he'd taken the time to change back into his Jedi robes. "It is good to see that you are well."

"Please follow me," the Togruta Master asked and turned to lead them somewhere else.

Obi-Wan nodded and followed, as did his companions. Garen seemed oblivious to many of the looks they were getting as his attention was absorbed by the exotic landscape and the scattered clusters of primitive tents. Siri, however, didn't miss the looks and threw back a few of her own, though her defiant glares were softened a bit by the fact that she was carrying an infant. And Nejaa was unreadable, his expression was blank and his emotions so tightly controlled that Obi-Wan could barely detect them.

Shaak Ti brought them out of the camp and towards a steep hillside that formed the foot of a nearby mountain. There was a shadowy cave opening there and Master Ti led them straight for it. But its shadowy entrance was deceiving.

When they entered, they found it to be dimly lit. Chunks of some native crystal embedded in the floor, walls, and ceiling gave off a dull blue glow, just enough light to see by. It gave the cavern a dream-like quality that was only enhanced by the surge Obi-Wan felt in the Force.

The Togruta Master brought them through a long tunnel that plunged deep under the mountain. At the end of a tunnel was a large echoing chamber that had a higher concentration of the glowing stones, especially in the ceiling, than the tunnel. In the center of the cavern the floor was raised slightly. Twelve large flat boulders had been arranged in a semi-circle there and had been thinly padded with scraps of blankets and cloth.

Master Ti brought them before the semi-circle of stones and then took a seat on one of the boulders. Nejaa Halcyon also took a seat on one of the rocks. The remaining members of the High Jedi Council were already present. Obi-Wan immediately recognized Luminara Unduli, Adi Gallia, and Mace Windu. And there were several new faces there as well to replace the many members who had fallen including Bultar Swan, Quinlan Vos, and Anja Kuro the Dark Woman. Master Yoda wasn't here of course as he had chosen exile on Dagobah, and all the rest of the improvised chairs were empty.

"Masters," Obi-Wan bowed and Siri and Garen softly echoed him.

"Welcome Obi-Wan," Master Windu nodded.

Even in the poor light, Obi-Wan couldn't help but notice how poor Mace looked. His once strong proud posture was now limp and sagging. His arms were tucked into his sleeves and he was hunched over slightly, making him look smaller and older than he really was. And there was a wooden walking stick leaning against his seat.

"It is good to see you again," Mace continued. "I only wish that you could've made it here sooner."

"And why would that be?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Knight Chun acquired some information through a disgruntled computer programmer that is very damaging in nature." Adi informed him. "He spread it among the other Knights and Masters before bringing it before us."

Obi-Wan struggled not to scowl at the mention of Bruck Chun. "Dare I ask what he has found?"

"He has discovered some information concerning your former apprentice." Luminara replied. "The computer programmer he was in contact with indiscriminately sliced several Imperial databases and may have copied some of the Emperor's private files."

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan swallowed. _This is bad. No wonder people were glaring at me…_

"I don't suppose any of them have realized that Obi-Wan wasn't on the Council at the time and had no say in the decision," Siri grumbled.

"It doesn't matter to them," Master Kuro frowned. "Their displeasure is not solely directed at Obi-Wan, but at the entire Council. And I can't say that I don't agree with them."

_I guess the Dark Woman didn't take the news of Anakin's existence very well,_ Obi-Wan mentally cringed.

"Obi-Wan, tell us what you have been doing since the Massacre?" Mace asked, firmly turning the discussion away from the unfortunate consequences of Bruck's information leak for the moment.

Taking a deep breathe, Obi-Wan began his report. He detailed his escape from Utapau, his rendezvous with Master Yoda and Senator Organa aboard the _Tantive IV_, and the return to the Temple. Then he informed them of Yoda's failed attempt to defeat Sidious and his subsequent self-exile to Dagobah. And he ended his report with his final mission of locating his former apprentice and his meeting up with Garen and Siri.

Next Garen was interviewed. He spoke of his own adventures from fleeing his post near Hypori when his clones turned on him to winning his ship in a sabacc game and finding Obi-Wan. When he was done reporting, he went back to marveling at the strange glowing cave walls and ceiling.

Then it was Siri's turn to speak. She reported her flight from the Temple and hiding down in the lower levels of Coruscant. Next she moved on to Obi-Wan's discovering of her and Senator Organa's assistance in helping her escape from the Core. Then came her wanderings which eventually led to Kamino and the child she now held.

The Council was rather intrigued with the Force-sensitive Kaminoan infant and they were equally intrigued by the information they had given her. They retrieved the disks from her to examine in detail later. And then business shifted back in a direction Obi-wan found a little uncomfortable.

"So Master Tachi, tell us again about what you know of Vader's actions during the Temple Massacre." Master Kuro demanded.

"We were separated early on. He spied the approaching clone army and predicted our failure. Then I was separated from him and then I was parted from my former apprentice and his companion." Siri replied.

"What do you know of the Massacre?" Obi-Wan asked. "Surely you know more than we do."

"Master Fisto, Tiin, and Kolar accompanied me to arrest the Supreme Chancellor after Vader informed me that he was certain that Palpatine was, in fact, Darth Sidious. The Sith Lord killed them and then defeated me, electrocuting me with his Force lightning and throwing me out of his office window." Mace recalled. "I don't remember anything after that, though it was reported that Vader brought me back to the Temple."

"He reported to me Mace's injury and warned me of an imminent attack against the Temple. Vader pushed for an evacuation of the Temple, at the very least moving the children and the injured to a secure location, but I decided against it." Shaak Ti continued. "I sent him to pass along the message that all Jedi should gather in the main foyer and did not see him after that."

"After interviewing many of the other survivors here that made it out of the Temple, we found that they did so under Vader's orders. He falsely claimed that the Council now ordered that they flee the Temple, flee Coruscant, and go into hiding. However no such order was given by any Council member." Luminara added.

"Well, at the time _he _was on the Council, though only by Palpatine's appointment." Obi-Wan pointed out. "While he was not granted the rank of Master he still had the same authority that we all do, and in this emergency he chose to use it. And I agree with his decision."

"His position on the Council has since been revoked." Master Kuro informed them coolly.

Obi-Wan nodded. He'd expected that. His presence had been forced upon the Council and he didn't think the position would stick once the Chancellor lost his authority over the Council.

"Nevertheless, he had the authority at the time; he took the initiative and used it. In doing so he saved many lives and did his best to thwart Darth Sidious' plan. This is not in question." Nejaa interjected.

"His actions are to be commended," Adi added quietly.

"He was an admitted ally of the Sith," Master Kuro frowned. "He is not to be trusted. He should never have been admitted into the Order." She paused and fixed Obi-Wan with a hard look. "Master Kenobi, were you able to locate him after the Temple Massacre?"

"No," Obi-Wan shook his head, "I have heard nothing of him since the fall of the Republic."

"Have you heard if the Emperor has taken a new apprentice yet?" Master Kuro asked.

"No, there has been no news of that." Obi-Wan frowned slightly, catching on to what the Dark Woman was implying. "He is an accomplished runner, he would not return to the Sith after fleeing them for so long."

"If you cannot find him, you cannot prove it." Master Kuro retorted.

"Do you have any idea where he might go?" Quinlan asked, before Obi-Wan could reply to the Dark Woman.

"I was planning on making a visit to Tatooine after we left Ord Mantell but Nejaa's appearance put that on hold." Obi-Wan answered.

"Why would you go to Tatooine?" Adi asked.

Obi-Wan cringed. "Blast! I knew I was forgetting something," he muttered in embarrassment. "Before I left on my deployment to Utapau, Vader finally dropped that ridiculous alias he was using. And when I returned to Coruscant, I found that he had left a message with Senator Amidala which detailed all the information that he'd kept secret about his background. He is a native of Tatooine and still has family there so it is a location he is likely to visit at some point."

"Do you have a copy of this message?" Master Kuro asked skeptically.

Obi-Wan felt like kicking himself. "No, I was in a hurry at the time and did not think to ask for one. Senator Amidala possesses the only copy."

"How unfortunate," Nejaa sighed. "Now we'll never get to read it."

"Oh I wouldn't say that." Obi-Wan frowned slightly.

"And how do you propose that we get a message from a dead woman?" Nejaa asked.

"Dead?" Obi-Wan blinked in surprise. "She's not dead. The last I heard of her, she was conferencing with Senator Organa about how to stage her demise. Master Yoda even provided her with a safe location to retreat to, an asteroid station called Polis Massa. Where she's gone from there, though, I don't know."

"This is most welcome news," Mace murmured. "So, enlighten us to Vader's secret past and identity…"

_

* * *

_

Ferus was having a hard time keeping his jaw from detaching from his face and falling to the ground. He simply couldn't believe what he was hearing. It made no sense, not to mention the fact that it simply couldn't be possible.

What he couldn't believe was a rumor that Barriss had just brought back with her. According to what she'd just heard Vader – Anakin Skywalker – whoever he was – was a Darksider, an ally to the Sith Lord. And the Council supposedly knew this and let him into the Jedi Order anyway.

While this startling idea certainly accounted for the mysterious scars and incomplete records, it simply couldn't be true. The Council would never do such a thing. They were the twelve wisest Jedi in the entire Order; there was no way they'd do something so stupid.

And then there were his actions during the Temple Massacre. He saved the children and allowed he and Darra to escape, risking his life repeatedly in the process. A Sith ally wouldn't do that, he would've aided the clones in killing them all.

"That's a mean lie!" Biso declared with an angry frown. "Master Skywalker saved us, he's a Jedi!"

"Master Skywalker?" Barriss frowned.

"That's how he introduced himself to them," Darra shrugged, looking numb with shock.

"Master Skywalker is a Jedi!" Lydar seconded Biso. "If he was a Sith he wouldn't have saved us, he would've killed us!"

"He was nice to us," Eek added. "He cared."

"We should speak to my Master," Barriss decided, "and see what she says about this."

There was no disagreement to that idea and so they all followed Barriss in search of Master Unduli. They followed her to the mouth of the cave where the reduced Jedi Council now met. Ferus found it a strange place, filled with Force energy. The children had immediately named the place the Cave of Stars.

Barriss paused at the cave mouth and stretched her senses inside. "Hmm, they're still in session," she sighed and turned to leave. But then she stopped and looked back. "Or not."

Just then the Council members began to exit. First there was an angry-looking woman with white-blonde hair that he didn't recognize, and she strode right past all of them without appearing to notice them. Then came Master Gallia, Master Unduli, Master Ti, Master Vos, Master Swan, Master Windu leaning heavily on a cane and limping, another Human Master that he didn't recognize, Knight Muln who was a friend of his old Master, Master Kenobi, and then his Master Siri.

"Master?" Ferus blinked in complete surprise.

Master Siri paused to look at him. "Ferus?" She squinted and then smiled. "Fancy meeting you here!"

A knot of tension that he hadn't even realized was there undid itself. "Master," he sighed wearily. _Please don't joke around right now…_ "What's that?" He asked, noticing that his Master was carrying something in her arms.

His Master grinned a little sheepishly and shifted the bundle in his arms so that he could see it better. Ferus gaped when he realized that there was an alien baby of some kind wrapped in the blanket. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever thought to picture his Master with a baby of any kind…

"What is it? What is it?" The children asked, crowding around his legs and standing on their toes so that they could try and see what it was that had him so transfixed.

Master Siri obligingly lowered the baby enough so that they could see it. "This is Noma Su," she told them, "and he's a Kaminoan."

"A Kaminoan?" Darra blinked. "Aren't they the cloners that created the clone army?"

"Yes," Master Siri nodded, "but now that they find themselves little more than slaves to the Empire, they wished to help while they still could and gave us this little one to become a Jedi."

"Can we play with him?" Biso asked hopefully.

"No, he's still too small for that," Master Siri replied. "But when he grows up a little more you can."

"Okay," Biso smiled cheerfully.

"So what brings you all down here?" Master Siri asked.

"We heard a rumor that we wanted to talk to my Master about," Barriss replied.

All the children immediately sobered up, their excitement over seeing a baby instantly forgotten.

"Yes, we just heard about that ourselves," Master Siri frowned. "What do you think about it?"

"It's a lie!" Biso responded immediately.

Master Siri started in surprise at the vehemence of the smallest child's answer, as did Master Kenobi, Knight Muln, and Master Unduli who were also there and listening. "What makes you think that?" Master Siri asked slowly.

"He helped us all escape the Temple," Lydar replied. "If he was what the rumor said he was, he wouldn't do that."

"Yeah!" Daano Ka the Togruta nodded. The rest of the children nodded too, locking their young faces into the most serious expressions that they could muster.

"I believe you," Master Kenobi smiled.

"So you'll tell all of them to stop saying bad things about Master Skywalker?" Lelli'ah asked hopefully.

Master Kenobi's smile faded. "I can't, because not all of it is a lie."

Ferus froze up. _What is he saying?_

"What do you mean?" Tandor frowned.

"He didn't start out as a Jedi, but he is one now." Master Kenobi responded vaguely.

"But he's not a bad Sith, right?" Biso frowned, confused.

"No, he's not. He never was and he never wanted to be." Master Kenobi replied.

That seemed to be enough for Biso. "Okay," he smiled.

The other children seemed less sure, but they didn't say anything else.

"Hey, why don't you come and look around with me?" Master Siri offered. The children seemed agreeable to this suggestion. "Come on Garen," She ordered tugging on Knight Muln's sleeve, and they moved off, leaving Barriss, Darra, Ferus, Master Unduli, and Master Kenobi alone at the mouth of the cave.

"How true is the rumor?" Darra asked softly.

"Everything but the fact that Vader remains an agent of the Sith," Master Unduli replied.

Ferus gaped at them. "And you let him in?" He asked before he could check himself.

"Yes," Master Unduli nodded. "We let him in. And even though he has been frustrating at times, we have never regretted it."

Ferus felt like something had broken inside his head, causing his thoughts to crash to a halt. The impossible, it seemed, was suddenly possible. The Council had let a Nexu in to mingle with the Nerfs. And yet…the Nexu guarded the Nerfs instead of eating them?

"Why let him in?" Ferus asked.

"Because he needed help," Obi-Wan replied. "We offered him a deal and he accepted it. He kept up his end of the bargain, he met every challenge thrown at him, and he never once let us down."

Running a hand through his hair, Ferus turned away and started walking. He needed some time to think this through. No one stopped him or called him back.

_Well, at least now I know why he was such a lousy lab partner…_

_

* * *

_

**Note: **Posting is probably going to slow down for a while. I need to catch up on some things, and I want to get the next chunk of plot (the last one before we return to Anakin, I promise) before I post anymore. It shouldn't take too long (hopefully), but until then, visit my profile for a link to my other things, including my lonely LiveJournal. While I can't promise that it will contain deep thoughts or anything, there might be a few things that you folks find fun...

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! And thank you for any and all reviews (even the ones that declare that this sucks and there needs to be more Anakin)!


	14. 13: The Handmaiden

**Note: **Okay, I meant to hold off posting until I had most of this section done, but... I can't be that mean to you guys. Updates are still going to be very slow, maybe once a week, until I finish getting caught up on stuff (why did I take that poetry class anyway?)... Well, thanks a bunch for all the nice reviews, and I hope you enjoy this last little subplot until we make it back to the stars of the show!

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 13**  
_The Handmaiden_

The sun had yet to rise, leaving the air muggy but not really warm. In the dark of the pre-dawn there was some shadowy movement around the garage of Dannarak Castle. Then, with barely more than a hum, a landspeeder pulled away onto the road into Viscan, the nearest (and only) town on the island.

Eric Typho sat behind the repulsorlift craft's controls; his one remaining eye peering through the gloom as he carefully navigated the narrow winding road. His passenger, Sabé Maberrie, sat in the backseat. A small suitcase sat on the seat next to her and she herself was wrapped in a concealing hooded cloak that brought to mind her days as a Royal Handmaiden.

There was no conversation as they whizzed along through the jungle. It wasn't necessary. Both knew what needed to be done, and they would do it. Even though Padmé was no longer Queen of the Naboo, they would obey her until the end of their days.

When they reached Viscan's tiny spaceport, which was barely more than a building and three small landing pads, the sun was just minutes away from peeking over the horizon. Typho helped Sabé out of the landspeeder and carried her suitcase for her. Sabé stared over at the single ship that waited at the port, a rust bucket of light freighter, and sighed.

"If Padmé is going to keep sending me out on 'errands' she should think of buying me a private ship." Sabé grumbled.

"That's not a bad idea," Typho chuckled. "It would certainly be easier than trying to secure you passage on whatever heap comes here from out of the system."

"And it would keep the gossips out of the loop. If anyone ever caught on to the fact that I leave the system, let alone that I leave the _sector_, every few months, the rumors would never stop." Sabé frowned, taking her suitcase from Typho.

"Very true," Typho nodded.

"Well, I'm off," Sabé declared and boldly marched to her transport.

"Be careful Sabé!" Typho warned. "Don't leave me and Padmé alone with those two hellions!"

Sabé only laughed at him.

Padmé's twin children were almost two years old now and very active. They could talk and walk now, though they preferred to scream and run everywhere. The two of them got into everything, even some of the child-proofed cabinets, and had to be watched constantly when they were awake. And worse, they were approaching their second birthday which, according to everything they'd heard, was one of the worst ages before teenager-hood. It wasn't called the Terrible Twos for nothing.

Shuddering at the looming doom that that particular double life-day would bring, Sabé climbed the ramp of the freighter. As she buzzed for admittance and waited to be let in, she cleared her mind of all but her mission. Padmé needed something done, and since she was 'dead' and a mother of two, Sabé would go and do it in her stead. Just like in the old days when she defended Padmé by becoming the Queen…

_

* * *

_

Najiim was an average world. Oxygen atmosphere, temperate climate, year and day close to the Coruscanti standard in length. It was a colony world original founded by Humans from Chandrila though now it hosted all manner of sentient life. Since it had been part of the Republic, it was now officially a world of the Empire. But since it was peaceful, out of the way, and economically and politically insignificant, there was no real Imperial presence here, just the occasional battleship passing through.

It was a nice planet, and if Sabé was here for anything besides business, she might've enjoyed it more. But business was the reason she had come to this planet and so she didn't let the pleasant surroundings distract her. She had to fulfill her mission and then go straight back to Padmé. It simply wouldn't be fair to leave her two friends alone with the twins any longer than was absolutely necessary.

Tucking her handbag securely within her dark green cloak, she drifted down a busy street, seeking a particular address. Sticking to the shadows and the crowds, she blended right in. It certainly helped that there was a local religious sect in the area that wore cloaks similar to her own so no one thought twice to see her on the street in the middle of the afternoon dressed as she was.

Spying the number that she was looking for, she turned down a nearby alleyway, vanishing into the dark shadows there. She picked her way over the trash and debris that found its way into the alley and reached a rusty, corroded door. Quickly punching in a code into the grimy keypad, she stepped inside the instant the door ground open to admit her.

The space beyond the door was very dark and she had to pause for a few minutes so that her eyes could adjust. Even then there wasn't much to see. Just a hallway, barely lit at all and very dusty. She started walking down the corridor, following the sharp turns to wherever they led her.

At the end of the hall there was another sealed door and another keypad. Entering another code, she had to wait for a minute before it cleared. Then the door reluctantly opened, letting her into a room with much better lighting than the hallway.

Without a word she took a seat at the table that took up most of the small room. Most of the table's other seats were already filled. Only one other person was not here yet. Making herself comfortable, Sabé could see several familiar faces.

Mon Mothma, former Senator of Chandrila and current head of the Alliance sat at the head of the rectangular table. The fiery haired woman had recently gone into hiding, resigning her position as Chandrila's Senator when word reached her that the Emperor was planning on having her arrested. Now she had all the time in the galaxy to devote to running her rebellion against the Empire.

Sheltay Retrac, one of Bail's most trusted aides was also present. Bail liked to attend these meetings whenever he could, but being the Viceroy of Alderaan and Alderaan's representative to the Imperial Senate took up a great deal of his time. So when he couldn't make it, which unfortunately was usually the case, Sheltay would come in his place.

The dignified Garm bel Iblis was also here. The rich and influential Corellian baron brought his wealth, power, and connections to the fledgling resistance and already had secured them several small warships. But today, Sabé noticed, he didn't look very good, like he hadn't slept in a few days, or had cried a lot recently. It was very out of character for him to look like that.

Meena Tills, the former Mon Calamarian Senator sat quietly in his seat. His mottled rust-colored skin looked dry and dull, like he hadn't taken a swim in a week, and his golden eyes were clouded and distant. His people had taken a hard hit with the rise of the Empire. Mon Calamari was blockaded and his kind was basically enslaved by the Empire. He hadn't been home since the fall of the Republic.

Also in attendance were representatives for Lorrd, Iseno, and Uyter. They were all rather unremarkable Humans who were really only present to report back to their superiors about what was going on. There was also was also a furry, hulking Sy Myrthan huddled in the corner that Sabé had never encountered before.

The door opened again and the final representative, a young man from Humbarine, entered. The silence in the room remained unbroken as he took the last available seat. But once he was settled, business began.

"Welcome," Mon greeted. "What have you to report?"

"From what I gather, Imperial controls only grow tighter." Meena replied rather despondently.

"The Imperial Governors are beginning to pressure their subjects to accept censorship, however Alderaan has managed to resist so far." Sheltay announced.

"The Empire continues to draw on our natural resources, leaving little for our own people." The Humbarine representative complained.

"The Imperial Military continues to order ships from Corellian and Kuati yards and several other highly industrialized systems are building their own shipyards in hopes of making a profit." Garm muttered bitterly.

"To sum it all up, things only grow worse." The Sy Myrthan rumbled. "The Empire continues to strengthen and no one dares oppose them."

Mon nodded. "I see. Anything else?"

"I heard there was a major ship crash on Corellia, but no further details were being disclosed." Sheltay began. "Lord Iblis, to you know anything about it?"

"My wife and daughter were taking our private ship on a short hop around the system, but they crashed shortly after take-off and were…killed." Garm answered in a rough voice. "My sources tell me that Imperial saboteurs were behind it."

The room suddenly grew icy and oppressive.

"I am sorry to hear that," Mon said at last. "You have my condolences."

All the others murmured their agreement and Garm looked like he dearly wished that he could kill them all for their empty words and hollow pity.

No one else had anything more to say and so Mon launched into business. Since there were no real military minds present at this meeting, the subject was mainly political. They needed to firm up some strategies on how to recruit prospective individuals and planets to their cause.

Sheltay and Mon carried most of the conversation with some of the other representatives adding their own ideas and comments from time to time. Meena sat in slumped silence and Garm just stewed. Sabé watched it all and made mental notes to pass on to Padmé when she returned.

The discussions dragged on for hours without much significant occurring. Sabé was really starting to get annoyed with Padmé for sending her to this particular gathering. It didn't look like her presence was really required. But she sat still and paid attention all the same. She wasn't some bored university student tuning out a dull professor's lecture, she was an adult and a professional.

When Mon finally adjourned the meeting, Sabé could barely swallow the yawns that were building up behind her jaw. Singly and in pairs the representatives left, so as not to draw any undue attention to this location. Only when the main members remained did Sabé speak.

"My Lady sends you her regards." Sabé told them and handed Mon, Sheltay, and Garm each a disk she took from her handbag.

"More speeches and analyses from the mysterious Lady Dala," Garm scowled.

"Her insights are always useful and appreciated." Mon reminded him.

"Why doesn't she ever come here to meet with us herself?" He demanded crossly. "Why does she always send her 'Handmaiden'?"

"My Lady has her reasons," Sabé assured him stiffly. "She wishes that she could meet with you but her current circumstances prevent it."

"Right," Garm grumbled bitterly and stormed off.

"I hope he'll be alright," Sheltay murmured once he was gone.

"I think he will be a good deal better when the Empire is in flaming ruins," Mon sighed.

"Send Ami our greetings and best wishes." Sheltay smiled faintly to Sabé.

"I shall," Sabé nodded and took her own leave.

She slipped back down the shadowy hallway, back into the alley, and then back onto the street. The entire time she'd kept her hood up, her features concealed. She was only a messenger, a representative, the Handmaiden. Not even Mon Mothma knew her name or her Lady's true name. Only Bail Organa knew the truth and he would carry it to his grave if need be…

_

* * *

_

Sabé sat in her cramped cheap hotel room and ran a brush through her hair. She and Padmé had always looked similar except for one feature. Padmé's hair was naturally curly; Sabé's hair was only slightly wavy at best. At worst, it was stick-straight.

Now more than ever she wished that Padmé had bought her a ship or shuttle to use to get to these meetings. Getting off Xendiir was hard enough, but there she had Typho helping her find a ride. Getting back to Xendiir was harder, especially since she was on her own out here.

It was late evening now and the only light there was came from the bedside lamp on the nightstand in her room. Distorted shadows danced on the walls as she kept running the brush through her hair, even though there weren't any tangles left. The rhythmic repetitive motion was soothing. It brought to mind her childhood, when she still got along with her mother, and having her mother and sisters play with her dark hair.

She missed Naboo a lot, especially when she was off running errands for Padmé on distant planets alone. Without Padmé or Typho around, her only connections to home, she really felt the loss from her home planet. So she clung to whatever she could find to keep herself from hurting.

Shaking her head she set aside her brush, turned off her light, and crawled into bed. Staying up all night brushing her hair was not a productive use of time. It was better to use the dark hours for sleeping, though she wasn't sure that she'd get much of it. She always had trouble getting sleep in strange places.

If she was home with Padmé right now, it wasn't likely that she'd be in bed just yet. Usually she was still wrangling the tots into bed which, at times, could take her, Padmé, and Typho _hours_ to complete their task. There were nights when Sabé was surprised to still be awake when the children finally surrendered to sleep.

When they were awake they could be devils of the highest order. But when they slept, Padmé's children were unquestionably angels. On days when she felt lonely or sad, if she had the energy to, she'd watch them sleep and remind herself that all her efforts were worth it.

_Sleep Sabé,_ she coached herself. _Sleep…_

_

* * *

_

Come morning, bright and early, Sabé was down at the spaceport hunting for a ride home, or at least one that would get her near home. Her business on Najiim was complete, there was no need to linger, and the sooner she returned to Xendiir the better. If she was gone too long, the neighbors would notice and unwanted rumors would be spawned faster then sugar flies.

Her first inquiries yielded no results, but that didn't worry her overly much. It was rare that she found a transport going her way on the first, the second, even the third try. Patience and determination would pay off in the end.

Settling down in front of another commercial line's terminal, she began another search for a transport that was headed where she wanted to go and was affordable. Again it didn't look all that promising. She sighed deeply as she scrolled through the results, feeling her disappointment sharpen as the list went on and on, showing nothing she wanted to see.

_Great morning I'm having today… First there was the bug in my shower, then the less than filling complementary breakfast, and now this. How can this day get **any better?**_

She gathered up her handbag from where it rested at her feet and abandoned the useless terminals. And in the next instant, a speedy little Najiimite barreled into her and past her. When she caught her balance, she realized that the rude local child was a thief.

_I just **had** to ask, didn't I?_ "Hey!" She shouted and gave chase.

Najiimites were a fleet, slender race, tracing their evolutionary roots back to savannah-dwelling hoofed grazers. They weren't actually native to Najiim, they had evolved on another world which, unfortunately for them, had been an ancient one. Their sun had died just over five thousand years ago and only small herds of their kind had been rescued and relocated. The largest cluster of their population had ended up here and so they became known as 'Najiimites'.

Despite her decent level of physically fitness, enhanced by chasing two almost-two-year-olds around all day, she was quickly falling behind. Najiimites, even young ones, were fast and their large, efficient heart and lungs gave them the endurance to keep up their maximum speed for just over an hour. The chance that she would the thief, even on the crowded streets around the spaceport, was slim to none. But she had to try anyway, that bag held all her credits and her identification, it would be risky to contact Padmé to get replacements…

Just as the thief was rounding a corner, a corner that would allow him to vanish from her view, perhaps permanently, the Najiimite tripped and fell. Sabé grinned fiercely and forced her tired body to pick up the pace just a little bit more so that she could catch him. Spying her gaining, the juvenile bleated in fright and staggered to his feet, blindly bolting across the street in a desperate attempt to escape with his take.

He was oblivious to the traffic on the street, just as the traffic was oblivious to him, and he was clipped by a lumbering delivery truck. The thief spun and crumpled to the ground, stunned. Sabé almost tripped in her shock and then tried to run faster. She wanted her purse back, but she didn't want the poor misguided child to die.

The Najiimite sat up dazedly just as a distracted swoop bike was careening towards him. Sabé made a desperate lunge and pinned the child back down to the ground. Barely a fraction of a second later the vehicle whizzed over her head, missing the both of them by a few centimeters. Doing a mental recitation of her limited curse word vocabulary, she gathered the child up and dragged him back to the curb.

"What is the matter with you?" Sabé demanded breathlessly. "Did you want to die?"

"Sorry this one is, most honored matriarch!" The Najiimite bleated. Sabé could not tell now if it was male or female or if that was its natural accent when speaking Basic or if its voice was warbly like that because it was scared and dazed. "Hungry this one is!"

"I'm sure you are," Sabé snapped irritably, still shaken by the close call. "But getting mowed down by a swoop bike is no way to fix being hungry. Now give me my bag back and I'll give you a few credits for some breakfast."

The child whimpered and bleated pathetically and handed the bag back. Sabé snatched it back and dug through it for a few loose credits. Finding enough to buy a good meal, maybe two if it was stretched, she pressed them into the Najiimite's hand. Shaking her head and muttering incoherently under her breath, she slung her handbag over her shoulder and marched off, back to the spaceport and her search for a ride.

After a half a block of walking, he realized that she was being followed. The Najiimite was following her. Sabé tried not to grind her teeth and ignored her unwanted shadow. Hopefully the kid would get its head on straight and leave to spend the gift of credits wisely. The child continued to follow her. Finally her annoyance grew to be too much and she stopped, allowing the Najiimite to come to her side.

"I thought you said that you were hungry." Sabé frowned.

"Hungry this one is," the Najiimite confirmed. "Most honored matriarch, straggler this one is. This most unworthy one seeks your honored company."

Sabé blinked at the awkward Najiimite speech patterns. _This is only slightly more understandable than Gungan speak._ "I wouldn't call my company 'honored'," she snorted. "I seek passage off this world to my home since my business here is completed. You cannot come with me."

"Straggler this one is," the Najiimite repeated desperately. "This unworthy one seeks your honored company! Unwarranted this gift is," it protested, holding out the credits. "Steal from you this one did!"

"Yes, and I don't encourage you to steal from me, or anyone else, again." Sabé frowned. "But you can't come with me. This is your home here, where your people are."

"Straggler this one is!" The child wailed. "Alone! No herd! No clan! This unworthy one seeks your most honored company!"

Passers-by on the street were starting to stare now. Sabé cringed in embarrassment and pulled her hood back over her head. This was just not her morning at all. She was about to ask the Najiimite to leave again when a shadow paused by her side and spoke with a familiar voice.

"May I be of assistance miss?"


	15. 14: The Jedi

**Chapter 14**  
_The Jedi_

Obi-Wan bit his lip to choke back a curse as he painfully scraped his knuckles against some sharp unseen corner deep within the web of wires and circuits deep underneath the navigation console. Carefully withdrawing his injured hand from the mess, he wished once more, for probably the billionth time, that Anakin was here with him. The young man had a real gift for machines. He would know how to fix the dead display screen. But he wasn't here so Obi-Wan was left to grope blindly on his own.

_Siri just had to saddle me with this miserable rust bucket, didn't she?_ He sighed, sucked the blood off his knuckle, and warily reached into the dark wiry maw of the console again. _This is her subtle revenge for me keeping secrets about Anakin from her…_

The ship he was working on happened to be the old shuttle that Siri had saved from a scrap yard shortly after the fall of the Temple. Now that she was permanently based on Sanctuary to take care of the Kaminoan baby and hold her new seat on the Jedi Council, she had granted her little ship to him. And before she'd given it up, she'd finally given the thing a name, the _Rust Bucket._

He could've stayed with Garen and helped crew his shiny vessel, but because it was shiny and new, it wouldn't work. Garen's ship, the _Second Chance_, was too new, too flashy, it would attract too much attention. It wasn't something that Obi-Wan needed, not with where he wanted to go.

His final mission from Master Yoda still stood. He was to find Anakin and make sure that he was alright. So he'd opted to leave his own Council seat on Sanctuary empty and taken Siri's flying scrap heap in search of his lost friend.

For a good two years now he'd been searching for Anakin Skywalker and in all that time he hadn't turned up a trace of him. Anakin was an adept runner, a great hider, and without having any clue of what alias' he might be using, Obi-Wan didn't have very high hopes of finding him any time soon. But he kept looking because he knew if the situation was reversed, Anakin would search just as tirelessly for his old Master.

After following Nejaa Halcyon to Sanctuary and briefly reconnecting with the Council, he'd gone to Tatooine to see if he could find traces of his former apprentice there. Originally the visit had been promising. Several days of snooping around Mos Espa, the city where Qui-Gon had first stumbled over Anakin, led him to the old Slave Quarter and some of Anakin's old friends.

The Human man and male Rodian had been very reluctant to speak with him, even after he'd treated them to lunch in a cantina. But after he showed them his lightsaber and fed them enough information to convince them that he knew their friend, they opened up a little to him. They claimed to have seen him in Mos Espa a little less than two months before. He'd stayed in his old home with a young boy before leaving to visit with his mother. They hadn't seen him since.

Obi-Wan then moved on to Anchorhead, the nearest town to the Lars homestead and moisture farm. He didn't want to directly contact Anakin's mother unless he had to. So he hung about for a few days and learned all he needed to know.

A stranger and a child had stayed at the Lars homestead for just over a week. There were some whispers said that the man was Shmi Skywalker-Lars' long lost son, taken from her during the time when she was still a slave. No one that Obi-Wan listened to seemed to be sure if the stranger was really the lost son, but they did know that he was long gone and the boy with him. So Obi-Wan left Tatooine and continued his search. He thought about visiting with Anakin's mother, just to leave a message, but an emergency signal had drawn him away.

The signal brought him to a Jedi in distress. An Anx Knight was injured and trapped in the bowels of Commenor, a city planet very similar to Coruscant though it lacked the prestige of being a center for galactic government. Obi-Wan set aside his quest for Anakin and ferried the injured Jedi to Sanctuary where he could recover in safety.

Several times in the past year his quest had been similarly interrupted. Each time he raced to the aid of his fellow Jedi, hoping to save them and bring them to Sanctuary. Sometimes he succeeded and sometimes he did not. But he always had to try. Anakin would've done the same.

Twisting together the frayed ends of a cut wire, Obi-Wan withdrew his hand from the cracked open console and tried to turn the display screen on again. At first there was nothing, then the screen flickered a few times before displaying the navigational data it was supposed to. Sighing in relief, Obi-Wan began to put the console back together so he could use it.

_Siri sure knows how to pick a winner._ Stabbing at a few keys, he began calling up star charts to try and determine where to go next. Krupti, and the entire Darmz Sector, was a dead end for him. Selecting a new sector, the Zondor Sector, he began to sort through the inhabited planets for a destination.

Skimming through a long list of names, he waited for one to catch his eye, for one to give him a special feeling. For a long time he received no result. Then just before he was about to switch to a different sector, he got a hit.

_Najiim?_ He blinked and called up the information that the _Rust Bucket_'s NavComputer had on the planet. _Ancient Chandrilan colony… New home of a transplanted race: the Najiimites… Temperate climate, oxygen-rich atmosphere, carbon-based life forms…_

The information was sketchy, Najiim wasn't an important world so storage space wasn't wasted on it, but it was enough. He felt a slight tingle at the name 'Najiim' so he would go to Najiim. It was as good a reason as any.

Obi-Wan plotted a course and locked it in. He eased the _Rust Bucket_ out of its parking orbit around Krupti's fifth moon and headed for the hyper-limit. When he reached it, he pulled the lever and vanished into hyperspace.

_

* * *

_

_The land was barren. Dull tan sandstone drenched in an endless sea of golden sand. The steel blue sky was cloudless, lit by white-hot binary suns. A gust of wind added a tang of dust to the hot dry air._

_Obi-Wan found himself standing on the flat top of a windswept sandstone mesa, squinting against the harsh glare of the dual suns. A quick examination of himself revealed that he'd been reduced down to a Jedi Padawan again. And that, along with the sudden change in location, led to the conclusion that he was dreaming._

"_There is something familiar about this place," He mused thoughtfully, feeling that the name of this place was hovering somewhere near the tip of his tongue._

"_It should be," his Master chuckled. "You've been here twice before, once not too long ago."_

_Obi-Wan whirled around to find Qui-Gon Jinn, his old Master, standing behind him. Qui-Gon looked the same as he had when he'd died, except that he no longer had a lightsaber hole in his gut. The Master of the Living Force smiled and struggled not to laugh at the stunned look that Obi-Wan was vaguely aware of wearing on his face._

"_Don't look so surprised, Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon laughed. "Did you not think that I would ever come to see you?"_

"_I-I was starting to wonder, Master." Obi-Wan choked, trying to regain his shattered composure._

"_Well, I'm sorry," Qui-Gon sighed. "Time doesn't mean as much to me anymore and I tend to lose track of it."_

"_It's alright," Obi-Wan smiled slightly, walking over to stand beside his old Master. "It's good to see you again Master. I missed you."_

"_I know," Qui-Gon replied._

_They fell silent for a while, admiring the bleakly beautiful landscape of a world that Obi-Wan now recognized as Tatooine. There were no other beings in sight, it was just the two of them standing there. Obi-Wan would've been perfectly content if he could've stayed there forever._

_But then he remembered something. "Master?"_

"_What is it Padawan?" Qui-Gon prompted._

"_In the power plant underneath the Theed palace…what was it that you wanted me to promise to do?" Obi-Wan asked._

"_It doesn't matter now," Qui-Gon smiled. "You managed to keep that promise even though you had no idea what it was."_

"_I did?" Obi-Wan blinked. "So…what was it?"_

"_Always curious," Qui-Gon chuckled. "What I wanted for you to do was go back to Tatooine and investigate a young slave boy named Anakin Skywalker."_

"_But I didn't do that," Obi-Wan frowned._

"_No you didn't, but **he** eventually found **you**." Qui-Gon pointed out. "And you did far more than merely investigate him, you took care of him. You helped him out of the shadows and he helped you smile again. Everything worked out far better than I expected."_

"_What **did** you expect?" Obi-Wan wondered._

"_I wasn't sure that you would be able to completely save him," Qui-Gon replied. "He suffered a great deal under my former Master and for a few years the two of you did not connect very well. However the both of you got past that eventually, and you have done very well."_

"_Thank you Master, I did my best. Not that I knew that it was what you wanted." Obi-Wan smiled faintly._

"_You will find him again soon," Qui-Gon abruptly informed him. "I can feel it. But first…you will find someone else."_

"_Oh?" Obi-Wan glanced up at his Master. "Who?"_

_Qui-Gon smiled mysteriously down at him. "And old friend…you'll see."_

_

* * *

_

Obi-Wan sat at a public access terminal on Najiim with a steaming cup of caf he'd bought at a small corner café and read the screen with mild interest. Having nothing in particular to do after landing on the planet, he'd decided to expand his knowledge beyond what little he'd learned from the NavComputer. It was interesting, but not quite enough for him to classify it as fascinating.

The planet had no real native culture; there was no native species that had attained sentience. All the cultures that could be found here were transplants; they'd been developed elsewhere and had come here to avoid persecution or to get a fresh start. Even the species named 'Najiimites' weren't native; they were a refugee species whose native system had been destroyed with the death of its star.

The beings known as Najiimites had evolved in the now-dead Thesst System on Thesst IV. Nomadic grazers, they were technologically primitive and remained so to this day. They had no spaceships of their own and they did not travel off-planet, the only exception being when they had been pulled off their dying home-world. They also lacked any formal unified government or social structure.

After being transplanted here to Najiim, they resumed their nomadic existence, wandering from city fringe to city fringe. They spent their time in herds, groups that traveled together, though were not necessarily related in any way other than that they were coming from, or going to, the same place. A deeply social species, the rare outcast or orphaned child that was not immediately adopted, suffered greatly when ejected from the herd and would desperately seek to company of anything or anyone to stave off the painful loneliness.

He sipped at his drink and idly wondered if he would get the opportunity to see any Najiimites. If his old Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, was still among the living, he would've dragged Obi-Wan with him to see some. But, since Qui-Gon was a ghost, the only way that he would see a Najiimite was if some of them came across his path.

Another interesting thing about Najiim was the enormous diversity in religious faiths that could be found here. Aside from the larger denominations which could be found on many planets in the Core and Mid Rim, there were smaller sects, some barely more than small cults, here too. One of the more popular local spiritual organizations was the Sisters of Mercy.

The Sisters were characterized by their heavy concealing clothing and hoods. Their main goal seemed to be helping the less fortunate. They ran orphanages, soup kitchens, thrift stores, and free clinics and were generally thought very well of by the rest of the population. Though Obi-Wan had noted in some of the articles he'd found on them that they had a pronounced prejudice against non-Human species. They'd still help Zabraks and Twi'leks and things, but Humans were higher on their list of priorities. And there were no non-Human Sisters.

When nothing else caught his eye in the searches he'd run, he abandoned the terminal and took a stroll. According to Qui-Gon, he was going to meet someone here, an old friend. But who that was and where he was going to meet this person was a complete mystery. All he could do was trust in the Force to guide him, and that's just what he was doing.

He walked around with no goal or direction; he simply went wherever his feet took him. As he wandered about at a leisurely pace, he let his thoughts wander too. And his drifting mind ended up in some interesting places…

_

* * *

_

_Obi-Wan sat quietly and watched as Vader struggled with the basic meditation exercises that he'd give him. The teenager was kneeling next to him, eyes closed and expression tense in deep concentration. He could feel the Force shifting around him, swirling raggedly and tinged with darkness, and he had to work not to shiver._

_Vader wrestled with the exercise a bit more before breaking off, letting a very colorful-sounding string of alien curses slip out of his mouth. Obi-Wan held back a sigh and just watched the boy tiredly. They'd been at this for nearly three hours straight and Vader still hadn't gotten it right._

_He was almost ready to call it quits for the day when Vader glanced in his direction. Then the teen gave him a sullen look, grumbled what was probably more curses under his breath, and settled back to try the exercise yet again. Obi-Wan wait without comment._

_The boy had determination; that was glaring obvious. He would slog his way through each task he was given and wouldn't give up until he was too tired or too frustrated to go on, or if he somehow managed to succeed. But would it be enough for him to pull off this elaborate charade that the Council had cooked up? Obi-Wan couldn't say…not yet anyway._

_

* * *

_

_It was dark inside and it took a minute or two for his vision to adjust to that. When he could see, it was clear that Vader wasn't in his bed. He was curled up in a defensive crouch pressed tightly into a corner. Obi-Wan cautiously approached and took a seat on the floor a few feet away._

"_What do you want now,_ Master_?"_ _Vader snarled acidly, though it was muffled by the fact that his face was buried in his knees._

"_You're upset." Obi-Wan stated calmly._

"_Bravo! Give the man a cookie!" Vader spat peering up from his knees just enough to glare at Obi-Wan through the darkness of the room._

"_Would you like to explain why?" Obi-Wan asked, ignoring the rude outburst._

"_No I would_ not _like to explain why." Vader growled. "But you'll keep asking until I tell you, won't you?"_

"_Perhaps," Obi-Wan shrugged. "Or maybe I'll just sit here and wait for you to answer on your own."_

"_You'd sit there all night?" Vader wondered._

"_Maybe," Obi-Wan replied evasively._

"_You're wasting your time then." Vader sneered. "You wouldn't understand."_

"_You don't know that." Obi-Wan frowned._

"_Yes I do. You were raised as a Jedi. I was raised, for the most part, as a normal human being." Vader snorted. "You wouldn't understand."_

_Obi-Wan's frown deepened. "Explain anyway."_

"_Fine," Vader grumbled, shifting his gaze to burn a hole in his floor. "Fine," he repeated softer. There was a long pause before he continued._

"_I don't like lying, and I don't like being alone. I can stomach this whole fake-Jedi thing fine, but…if I ever tried to-to make friends here then I'd be lying to them…the entire time. So…that's why I have no friends. I've never even tried. That's why I spend pretty much all of my time with you. I don't want to be alone and I don't have to lie. You know what I am so I don't have to fake anything." Vader paused in his ramblings, then added: "And most of the time you're decent enough company. Mostly."_

"_You flatter me," Obi-Wan sighed dryly._

_ "Yeah, I do, don't I?" Vader snorted. "Well, there's your answer. Are you going to leave me alone yet?" _

_ "I thought you didn't like to be alone." Obi-Wan pointed out. _

_ "I usually handle it pretty well in the short term." Vader sighed, slightly annoyed. "But more than a couple of days…would be more difficult." _

_ "I see," Obi-Wan nodded, and he really thought that maybe he_ was_starting to 'see'. _

_ It was very strange to think of an admitted Darksider to have any sort of conscience, let alone for one to be bothered by lying or dishonesty. Yet that seemed to be the case here. Vader didn't mind imitating a Jedi, but the idea of making friends within the Order and allowing them to believe his false front as a truth was too much for him. _

_And it was also strange to think of a Darksider to dislike being lonely, to want company, real friends. Those of the Dark Side, the Sith in particular, were known to be selfish, deceitful, and manipulative. Such traits do not make for good, true friends. They didn't even make for good acquaintances. And yet Vader_ wanted _friends, and he wanted to be perfectly honest to these friends. Half-truths and vague statements would not suffice. _

_"Well," Obi-Wan got to his feet, "are you going to sit in the corner all night or go to bed?" _

_ "I'm going to bed." Vader mumbled though he didn't immediately move from his seat in the corner. _

_ "Alright then, goodnight Padawan." Obi-Wan began to leave, but paused in the doorway. "Don't forget to do that history report tomorrow." _

_ "I won't," Vader groaned sullenly. "Goodnight Master." _

_ "Goodnight," Obi-Wan repeated and left, closing the door behind him. _

_ Before turning in for the night, Obi-Wan settled on the thick rug near the apartment window to do some meditation. He needed to clear his head if he wanted to get any restful sleep that night. As he settled into the familiar exercise, he was relieved to sense that Vader wasn't quite as upset as he had been before, though the young man still radiated some negative prickles. _

I can handle a squad of battle droids or mediate the most complex of negotiations without much of a problem_, Obi-Wan sighed to himself,_ but give me a moody teenager and I have no idea what I'm doing…

_

* * *

_

_Obi-Wan was pleased with how well things had gone so far. After much argument and debate, the Council had finally come to a consensus on his motion, and it had been a favorable one. And Vader hadn't had a bad reaction to the traditional ritual. Considering how terrified of the Council Vader had been in the past, he'd worried that the young man would suffer some sort of panic attack when they all lit their lightsabers. _

_ But when he glanced over at Vader, his satisfaction faded into worry. The young man was very pale and shaking. He looked scared and like he might be sick. Waves of anxiety and even fear rolled off him, thick and smothering. This was not the reaction he was used to seeing in those who had just been knighted. _

_"Are you all right?" He asked softly in concern. _

_ Vader flinched at the sound of his voice, almost as if he'd been struck. "Huh-wha?" _

_ "Are you all right?" Obi-Wan asked again. _

_ "I…I-I dunno." Vader panted, clutching the hand rail of the lift car as he started to sway. _

_ "Hey, calm down," Obi-Wan soothed, grasping Vader by the shoulders. He was startled by Vader's strange reaction and the strength of it. "Calm down. Relax. Why don't we take a walk to the Fountain Room?" He suggested. _

_ "O-okay," Vader swallowed, managing to pull himself together a bit as the lift doors slid open. _

_ "Good," Obi-Wan smiled encouragingly. _

_ He led his younger companion through the hallways towards their goal, the Room of a Thousand Fountains. After making their way through the maze-like entrance-ways, Obi-Wan led his young friend towards a secluded corner he had enjoyed as a young Initiate and later as a Padawan. He came to a nice small shallow pool screened by a small dense grove of Alderaanian Elms and sat down. Obi-Wan pulled off his boots, rolled up his pant legs, and soaked his feet in the cool water before turning to speak with Vader. _

_ "Now, what's wrong?" Obi-Wan asked. _

_ Vader shifted around on the ground, trying to get comfortable. "I…well…" He grasped for some answer to give, when something seemed to occur to him. "You're trying to get rid of me!" He accused. _

_"What?" Obi-Wan frowned in confusion. "What makes you think_ that_?"_

_"Now that…that I'm not your Padawan anymore…I won't be sent with you on deployments." Vader swallowed hard. "You're getting rid of me." _

_ "No I'm not," Obi-Wan assured him, trying not to laugh. "That's not why you were knighted at all." _

_ Vader's anxious expression now took on an element of pure puzzlement. "Then why? It's not like I'm a real Padawan. And I certainly don't deserve it…" _

_ "You sell yourself short," Obi-Wan snorted. "We would not have agreed to your promotion if you were undeserving of it." _

_ "But…but…" Vader sputtered. "I ran off twice without permission in just a couple weeks… I haven't admitted where I was before Ansion… And I still haven't told you things like my name… How can you knight me?" _

_ "You went without permission, true. But you returned, and you did the Order services in leaving, like ending the threat of Asajj Ventress and rescuing stranded Jedi. While no one is pleased that you continue to remain silent on that little trip you went on pre-Ansion or your continued silence concerning your personal history, we cannot compel you to answer for it and so we can only be patient." Obi-Wan explained. _

_ "However, your talents and skills are sorely needed." He continued. "Part of the reason for your promotion and the promotion of some others is that the Order is in desperate need of more Knights. Too many have died for us to keep going at the rate that we are. And so we are turning to Senior Padawans who have proven themselves worthy of the honor of knighthood and all the responsibilities that come with it." _

_ "Oh," Vader frowned in thought. "The Council thinks I'm worthy?" _

_ "For the most part yes. Some Masters still have reservations about you, most notably Master Rancisis and Master Kolar. But in the end, they all agreed." Obi-Wan replied. _

_ Vader traced his metallic index finger through the dirt. "So I'll be sent off on my own now?" He asked, seemingly resigned to his suddenly lonely fate. _

_"No, not necessarily." Obi-Wan answered. "You'll still be sent with me most of the time, but on the occasions that you aren't, you'll always be with other Jedi." _

_ "So it really won't be that different?" Vader wondered, looking a great deal more hopeful. _

_ "Exactly," Obi-Wan smiled. "And you won't have to worry about growing out a new Padawan braid." He added, recalling Vader's great disdain for the 'pansy' hairstyle. _

_ "That's right," Vader smirked slightly. "I can grow my hair out again!" _

_ "Yes," Obi-Wan chuckled. "Now are you feeling better?" _

_ "Yeah," Vader sighed sheepishly. He was visibly relaxed now and the color was returning to his face. _

_ "Now why don't you go down the tailors and get some more clothes?" Obi-Wan suggested. _

_ "Right," Vader nodded and got up. "Wait…that's why you told me to wait before getting new clothes. You knew!" _

_ "I only knew that it was a possibility that they would agree to knight you." Obi-Wan corrected. "Now remember, while it isn't required, Padawans usually modify their outfits upon being knighted." _

_ "Great, I'll dress all in black now!" He teased as he walked off. _

_ "Sure you will." Obi-Wan snorted disbelievingly. _

_ Vader just disappeared through the trees without any further comment. Now alone, Obi-Wan sighed and enjoyed the feel of cool water on his bare feet. But then a faint frown found its way onto his face. _

He'd better not dress all in black…

_

* * *

_

_The Outer Rim sieges were an exercise in patience and misery. At the moment, he was trying to keep dry in a trench on some anonymous world while rain poured down, making the trench a muddy river. He wasn't terribly successful in keeping dry, and the siege dragged on as he waited for his troops to breach the energy shield that protected the Separatist-aligned city that was his goal. _

_ He tried laying on his right side on the bench to get some rest while he could, but water started dripping on his head. So he shifted over to lay on his left side, but again water began to drip on his head. Feeling cranky, he was stuck sitting upright, waiting for the rain to let up so he could get some rest. _

_ "How are things going, Commander?" He asked a passing clone soldier hopefully. _

_ "Everything is going according to schedule, General Kenobi." The clone replied. "In two months, we should have them at our mercy." _

_ Obi-Wan was tempted to groan in despair. "Carry on." _

_ "Yes, sir!" The soldier saluted and left him alone. _

Just great, _Obi-Wan sighed._ Two months, at least, of sitting around out here in the bad weather, without much food, waiting to get in…

_There was a splash of water and mud and Vader appeared in front of him in the trench. He was quite damp and muddy, but he was ridiculously cheerfully. Vader pulled a cloth bundle out from under his soaked cloak and laid it out on the table where Obi-Wan did his planning. He opened the make-shift back to reveal its contents, which turned out to be a collection of live bugs. _

_"Ugh," Obi-Wan shuddered, retreating deeper into his cloak. "What's that?" _

_ "Lunch," Vader cheerfully announced and started to eat the bugs as if they were pieces of ordinary snack food. _

_ "That's disgusting," Obi-Wan scowled. _

_ "Tastes fine to me," Vader grinned. "Want some Master?" _

_ "No thank you," Obi-Wan replied. _

_ "More for me then," Vader chuckled and continued to eat the black beetles and things that he'd collected. _

_Obi-Wan watched him snack away with a disgusted expression. While he was hungry, he wasn't_ that _hungry. Glancing around at the muddy barren landscape, he started to wonder…_

_"Where did you get that?" Obi-Wan asked warily. _

_ "From the city," Vader shrugged, vaguely gesturing in the direction of the city under the energy shield with his black-gloved right hand. _

_ "From the city?" Obi-Wan repeated slowly. "You mean you've been inside?" _

_ "Yep," Vader smirked smugly. "I found a way in. Wanna see it?" _

_ "Of course," Obi-Wan sputtered. "I don't want to sit around here waiting for two months, do you?" _

_ "Alright then," Vader laughed, amused by Obi-Wan's annoyance. He stuffed the last bug in his mouth and stood up with a mischievous gleam in his blue eyes. "To the sewers!" _

_

* * *

_

"_You know, I've been wondering…" Sabé murmured as they rested in some shade provided by an overhang. _

_ "What about?" Obi-Wan asked. _

_ "How does a respected Jedi Master and Council member such as yourself get away with such a scruffy-looking haircut?" Sabé inquired with innocent curiosity. _

_"What?" Obi-Wan sputtered. "What do you mean?" _

_ "I mean this," Sabé replied, reaching over to run her fingers through his shoulder length hair. "It works fine for a simple Jedi Knight, but, I'm sorry, this just doesn't say 'Jedi Master' when I look at it." _

_ "My hair is fine," he reached up and removed her hands from the sides of his head, "just the way it is." _

_ Honestly he'd never thought much about his hair. When he was knighted his mind was more absorbed with the loss of his Master. After leaving Naboo and before he'd transferred to Corellia he was granted two months leave and he used it to hide from the galaxy. _

_ He'd fled to the Mid Rim world of Dantooine and camped out at the ruins of the ancient Jedi training academy that had been razed to the ground during the Great Sith Wars. There he did little else but meditate and grieve. When his leave was up and he returned to the Temple, his hair was longer and he had a beard. Since then all he'd done was trim his beard and keep his hair from getting past his shoulders. And that had always been fine. _

_ Apparently Sabé didn't think so. "Well I suppose if you want to be the scruffy-looking Jedi Master, that's totally up to you." She shrugged. _

_ "I am not 'scruffy-looking.'" Obi-Wan insisted with a scowl. _

_"What_ever _you say." Sabé smirked._

_"I am not!" Obi-Wan protested. _

_ "Right," Sabé rolled her eyes and turned away from him. _

_ Obi-Wan frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, what sort of style do you think is more fitting then?" _

_ Sabé immediately spun back around with a bright smile. "I have an idea or two…" _

_

* * *

_

He was abruptly yanked back to the present and found himself near the spaceport where he'd parked Siri's shuttle. Stepping to the side to rest against a store wall, out of the moving flow of pedestrians, he paused to glance around. Near a street corner he spied what looked like a Sister of Mercy and what he took to be a Najiimite. Curious and sensing some tension, he moved closer to see what was going on.

The Najiimite was obviously a child as its head only came up to the woman's elbow. He couldn't determine the gender and its clothes, a holey scrap of bed sheet-like material held closed with a belt, gave no clue as to whether it was male or female. It had a long neck that vaguely reminded him of the Kaminoans, but this was a tan, furry, hoofed creature with nubs of horns just beginning to grow on its head. At its young age, its slender build made it look gangly and awkward, and it only looked more so as it shifted about anxiously, staring up at the green cloaked Sister with wide black eyes.

"Straggler this one is!" The child wailed. "Alone! No herd! No clan! This unworthy one seeks your most honored company!"

Passers-by on the street were starting to stare now and Obi-Wan could feel the Sister's embarrassment. Apparently she had the misfortune to stumble across an orphaned Najiimite that was now attempting to attach itself to her company. He hesitated for a moment before deciding to see if he could help her and keep the scene from getting any worse.

Obi-Wan stepped up to her shoulder and politely offered his help. "May I be of assistance miss?"


	16. 15: The Ride

**Chapter 15**  
_The Ride_

Sabé turned to see who was speaking and found that a Tusk Cat had stolen her tongue. Of all the people that she thought she would run into here, he was one of the last ones on the list. She just stood there and stared at him like a Nuna caught in a landspeeder's headlights.

"Miss?" Obi-Wan asked, sounding concerned.

While he wasn't dressed like a Jedi, it was definitely Obi-Wan Kenobi. His hair was the same though his beard was a bit shorter, as if at some point he'd shaved it off only to let it all grow back. To her sharp eye, even wearing battered spacer clothes, he was still the Jedi Master that she knew.

"What?" She asked stupidly, still reeling from the unexpectedness of the encounter.

"Do you need any help?" Obi-Wan repeated.

"Um, yes, if it's not too much trouble." Sabé managed.

"It's no trouble at all," Obi-Wan cheerfully assured her and Sabé started to get the feeling that he didn't recognize her at all. "Now," he turned to the trembling Najiimite child, "what are we going to do with you?"

The young Najiimite's eyes grew very large and it tried to hide behind Sabé. "Mind this unworthy one not!" It pleaded softly.

"Unworthy one?" Obi-Wan frowned. "What makes you think that you are unworthy?"

"Alone! No herd! No clan! Straggler!" The child repeated in a whimper. "Unworthy of association."

"Why? What has separated you from your family?" Obi-Wan inquired.

"Unworthy this one is," the Najiimite bleated. "_Bwahdii__ko_!"

"What does that mean?" Sabé asked curiously.

"Know not the words," it gulped, "but bad thing it is, very bad."

"Can you describe it to us?" Obi-Wan suggested.

The child began to anxiously fiddle with some of Sabé's cloak and tried to scrunch deeper in her shadow. "Bad thing it is. Know things it should not know. Feel things it should not feel. Do things it should not do. _Bwahdii__ko_…"

_That wasn't terribly helpful…_ "Did this hurt anyone?" Sabé wondered.

"No," it gulped, "not yet. But trouble it will bring, pain, suffering. So cast out this unworthy one was, unfit for association."

"Very strange," Obi-Wan mumbled to himself, looking very thoughtful.

"Well I think it's terrible," Sabé frowned. "If this thing hasn't hurt anyone, why cast you out? Maybe it won't hurt anyone at all."

"_Bwahdii_ _ko_ always bad," the Najiimite declared.

"If none of your own kind will tolerate you, you could come with me." Obi-Wan offered.

"No, no, no!" It bleated. "This unworthy one declines…respectfully."

_What's this?_ Sabé frowned down at the child. _You want my company so badly, yet you're turning Obi-Wan down?_

Obi-Wan looked equally puzzled for a minute. "Oh," he blinked, "I think I get it. I make you uncomfortable because I am a male."

"Yes," it squeaked quietly, cowering.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sabé frowned.

"Najiimite society, from what I've read, is herd-based." Obi-Wan explained. "So the mature males wander apart in loose groups while the females and younglings stay together in closer-knit groups. Therefore a strange grown male, of any species, is very threatening, especially to a youngling."

Sabé nodded slowly. "Ah, I get it."

"Yes," the child nodded jerkily, "correct the male is."

"Well this is just great," Sabé sighed. "Are you sure there isn't anywhere that you can go? I need to be finding a ride off-planet now."

"No," the child moaned. "Nowhere to go. This unworthy one seeks your most honored company," the youngling repeated softly.

"I wouldn't call my company 'honored'." Sabé muttered to herself. "You wouldn't be able to help me find a ride?" She asked Obi-Wan hopefully, getting the question out before he decided that there was nothing that he could do and left her.

"Well, where do you need to go?" Obi-Wan inquired.

"A little out of the way place called Xendiir, third planet in the Verdant System." Sabé replied.

"Can't say I've ever heard of it," Obi-Wan stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"Most people haven't, which is why it's so difficult for me to get back there." Sabé sighed. "I really wish that my Lady would buy a small private ship so that I don't have to go through this every time that I'm sent out."

"Your Lady?" Obi-Wan repeated curiously.

"Yes, my Lady, Lady Dala. I am a Handmaiden to her, and she sends me on errands that she herself cannot complete." Sabé responded mysteriously, fighting a grin.

Obi-Wan studied her for a minute and Sabé was certain now that he didn't quite recognize her. "I have a small ship at my disposal," he said at last. "I can take you to Xendiir if you wish me to."

At this, the Najiimite child began to moan and bleat in its native language, obviously distressed.

Sabé felt really bad for it, even if it had stolen her purse and made her run like a mad woman. It seemed so cruel just to leave it when it had been so thoroughly abandoned by its own kind for no clear reason. She bit her lip indecisively for a minute as she considered her options.

"If you wish to come with me, you may," she told the child. "My Lady is generous and kind; she will not mind helping you."

The alien youngling's black eyes tried to pop out of its head. Clearly it had never fathomed that it would be given such an incredible offer. It stood there gaping for so long that Sabé wondered if she'd have to pick it up and carry it to Obi-Wan's little ship.

"You honor this unworthy one unfairly!" It sputtered at last, casting its dark eyes down to the permacrete sidewalk. "Undeserving of the stars this one is."

"Let me be the judge of whether or not you deserve to come with me," Sabé stated. "I would not make you this offer if I did not think you 'worthy'."

The child hesitated a moment more before giving its decision. "This unworthy one seeks your most honored company, wherever it will take this one."

"It's settled then," Obi-Wan smiled slightly. "This way if you please…"

* * *

Obi-Wan couldn't say why he was helping a strange woman and an alien child. The only reason that he had for it was that the Force called him to. Perhaps there was something important on Xendiir for him to find, like Anakin. Or maybe it was something else.

There was definitely something intriguing about the Najiimite child. Its vague description of its affliction, this _bwahdii_ _ko_, made him think that it was Force-sensitive. He needed some time to focus properly so that he could be sure if that was the case, and he would get more than enough time during this voyage to the isolated world of Xendiir.

If the child turned out to be Force-sensitive, it wasn't likely that he'd be able to train it. With its herd mentality, he would need to find a female Jedi to teach it, if it would even be willing to learn. Its apparent fear of the Force and the powers that came with it would be another problem on top of its aversion to mature males.

And there was something about this woman. At first he'd mistaken her for a Sister of Mercy, but she was actually a Handmaiden of some sort to a woman she called Lady Dala. He'd never heard of this Lady Dala, nor had he ever met a Handmaiden of hers, yet he got the oddest feeling…

"That's…some ship you have." The Handmaiden commented hesitantly as they reached the proper docking bay.

Obi-Wan fought back an embarrassed cringe. "Well, it's not exactly my ship, it belongs to a friend of mine," he explained. "It doesn't look like much, but it flies very well."

"I'll take your word on that," she replied neutrally.

He shook his head and led her and the gawking child aboard Siri's _Rust Bucket_. Settling them in the passenger compartment, he headed for the cockpit with the coordinates to Xendiir. After entering the coordinates, he easily ran through the motions of taking off and making the jump to hyperspace.

_Qui-Gon claimed that I'd meet and old friend,_ Obi-Wan mused, _but he didn't say when exactly. I can't say that I met any old friends on Najiim…_ He sighed and ran a hand over his face. _Maybe I was just dreaming then._

Not feeling up to pondering this mystery, he went back to check on his passengers before slipping into his cabin to meditate for a while. In the passenger compartment, the Najiimite child had its face pasted to the nearest viewport so it could better gape at the swirls of hyperspace. The sight made him smile a little. It was nice to see a child just being a child.

"Cute, isn't she?" The Handmaiden whispered.

He turned to see her standing behind him. She'd removed her green hooded cloak, giving him a much better view of her face. There was something very familiar about her, but for the life of him, he couldn't properly place her in his memory. It certainly didn't help that he had no idea what her name was or who her employer, Lady Dala, was.

"Yes," he replied quietly, not wanting to disturb the child with his presence. "So it's a girl then?"

"Mm-hm," she nodded, glancing over at the Najiimite still stuck on the window. "She was getting panicky when we were taking off so I tried to engage her in some conversation and hopefully find out more about her. The most I got is that she's female and roughly eleven seasonal cycles old." She turned back to him with a little grin. "So, Master Jedi, any theories about her mysterious _bwahdii_ _ko_ affliction?"

Obi-Wan stiffened warily, only his years of Jedi training keeping his expression neutral. "I need a little time to confirm it, but I believe that she's Force-sensitive," he replied slowly. "So how did you guess that I was a Jedi?"

"I didn't have to guess, I knew. I recognized you right away," she snorted. "And you obviously don't recognize me."

"I…" He stopped and looked harder at her. She knew him and apparently he knew her, but from where? Her gray stone pendant caught his eye. "Sabé?"

"Oh, so you _do_ remember me!" Sabé beamed.

"Of course I remember you," Obi-Wan sighed. "I was just a little thrown off by that cloak and your mention of a Lady Dala. Who is that, by the way?"

"You know her too," Sabé smirked. "Well, you know Lady _Ami_dala."

"Oh," he blinked, suddenly feeling rather silly. "How did I miss that?"

"Maybe because you weren't looking?" Sabé teased. "Don't worry, I won't tell Padmé you didn't guess her secret identity if you don't."

"Thanks," Obi-Wan chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "So, you've all settled on Xendiir?"

"Yes, it's not Naboo, but it's nice." Sabé began to fiddle with her necklace. "You should come and visit for a few days. Padmé would like that."

"I have no pressing business," he smiled, "so I think that I will."

"Oh good," Sabé grinned and pulled him into a quick hug. "This trip just got a whole lot better. Leave on an errand, come back with a Jedi!"

"Am I allowed to know what the errand was?" Obi-Wan asked curiously when she released him.

"Padmé sent me to meet with the Alliance for her," Sabé sighed. "Not too much significant happened, just more bad news."

"That's unfortunate," Obi-Wan frowned, "but not entirely unexpected. Things are more likely to get worse long before they get better in this situation."

"I guess so," Sabé flopped into one of the seat. "So how long is this flight going to be?"

"Just over a standard day," Obi-Wan replied, taking a seat across from her.

"That's a lot of time to kill," she remarked. "Why don't you tell me what you've been up to for the past few years, hm?"

Obi-Wan chuckled, "Certainly."

* * *

The most unworthy one was mesmerized by the view through the window. She had never seen anything so fantastic, not even in her dreams. The jagged swirling forms of white and pale blue brought to mind the stories of the journey from the Old Land to the New Land.

She fondly remembered the old Storyteller, a stooped old doe with broken horns, who would huddle by the fire and share the History with any who cared to hear it. There were the Old Tales, stories that went all the way up to the arrival on the New Land, and then there were the New Tales, stories of things that happened in the New Land. And now she was going to some Other Land, a place that was not the New Land or the Old Land, a place that none of her kind had gone and would ever go.

Upon realizing that, she was humbled and finally drew away from the window. She was unworthy of this honor. She was _bwahdii ko_, cursed, tainted, unnatural. She held a power over nature that was wrong.

It had seemed so harmless when she had first discovered the ability to get small pretty stones to float into her hand when she couldn't quite reach them. Fascinated by this strange skill, she had honed it as much as she was able, and then proudly displayed it for her mother. But mother had not been pleased with her mystical skill. Her mother had been horrified and had made the most horrible bray, backing away and abandoning her at that very moment.

The Casting-Out Ceremony had been quick and brutal. The Grand Matriarch of the Herd had stripped her of her fawn name, leaving her only the unworthy one, a _bwahdii ko_. And then the Herd had recoiled from her, charging her if she tried to approach them. They turned a deaf ear to her pleading bleats and brought sharp hooves, horns, and teeth to her reaching hands. With nothing left to do, she fled them and found her way to a city of Others.

The Others, strange beings from many Other Lands who were like her kind in that they had minds far more complex than mere beasts, yet they all looked so different and strange. The last Old Tale spoke of how the Others came to the Old Land as the sun was dying and saved those who were brave enough to be saved. The Others were the ones who brought her kind to the New Land and let them roam free on the unclaimed land around their cities and towns and farms. The Others came in many different shapes and spoke many different languages, but before she'd been shunned, she had managed to learn most of one of the Others' common trade tongues.

Learning to survive alone in the fringes of the city had been difficult and painful, made worse by the icy feeling of aloneness. The isolation from mother and her friends was like a sharp horn goring her repeatedly. And the ever-present sensation of hunger hadn't made things any easier either. In fact, she was still hungry.

Turning away from the magical window, she found the Other Matriarch was engaged in conversation with the Other male who had offered them passage to 'Xendiir'. Her ears flattened back against her head at the utter unnaturalness of this interaction. Grown males were wanderers who kept to their own kind, away from the mothers and the fawns, except when seeking a mate during the vaguely defined rutting season. Grown males did not just talk to females simply to talk.

Crouching down in the shadow of one of the seats that filled this room, she watched them worriedly. The Matriarch who had so mercifully and generously allowed her, the unworthy one, into her honored company was listening intently to what the male was telling her. The male, who inspired nothing but anxiety in her, seemed to be telling stories to the Matriarch.

But that made no sense. Males did not tell stories. Old females were the storytellers, the holders of history and knowledge. Males only wandered and competed with each other for status amongst themselves and to impress fertile females.

_They are Others,_ she had to remind herself. _They are not my kind. They do not know the Ways._

Maybe it was very common for Others to behave this way. Perhaps males were the holders of history and knowledge, the raisers of young and the maintainers of culture. And perhaps the females were the wanderers who competed for status and males, leaving their offspring in the care of their casual mates. Such an inversion made no sense in her mind, but they were Others and so incompressible to her.

"Hello there, little one," the male greeted, suddenly noticing her watching them. "Are you enjoying the trip?"

She drew deeper into the shadows behind the chair. "Yes, but…" She hesitated and shifted her attentions strictly on the Matriarch. "Hungry this one is," she reminded the female politely.

"Oh, I forgot that you haven't eaten anything yet, I'm sorry." The Matriarch apologized. "Do you have something for her?" She asked the male.

"There's isn't much aboard, I'm afraid. But I'll see what I can find." The male promised and then left the room.

As soon as he was gone, she slunk over to the Matriarch's side, seeking comfort in close association. It had been so long, months that felt like years, since she'd felt like she was associating with anyone. She was so relieved to have that wonderful sensation back.

"Now that you're calmer, little one, could you tell me your name?" The Matriarch asked curiously.

The Najiimite wilted slightly. "Unworthy of a name this one is," she explained morosely. "_Bwahdii ko_ this one is, unworthy of name, unworthy of association, unworthy."

"You are not unworthy," the Other Matriarch insisted. "Master Kenobi suspects that you may be a very special youngling. Now are you sure you don't have a name?"

"Yes," she nodded, "stripped of Name this unworthy one was."

The Matriarch studied her thoughtfully for a minute. "Well that won't do, we need something to call you. How about I give you a new name?"

She stared up at the Other female in awed wonder. "You would honor this unworthy one so?"

"Of course," the Matriarch snorted. "Now what to call you," she mused, playing with the beautiful gray stone that she wore as an ornament around her neck. "How about…Maré, after my grandmother?"

She was so stunned it was hard to speak. "This one would be greatly honored by that Name."

"Alright," the Matriarch nodded. "Now for the surname…"

"Another name?" Maré's eyes felt like they were bulging out of their sockets. "But this one is just a fawn! Not worthy of more recognition!"

"Nonsense," the Matriarch snorted, "everyone is born with at least two names where I come from. It's not like you will always be called by both names, most will just call you Maré."

"But…but…not worthy…" Maré sputtered helplessly. _Others always have **two names?**_

"Yes you are," the Matriarch sounded quite annoyed. "Now, do you have any ideas of what you'd like your surname to be?"

Maré stared open-mouthed. She, the unworthy one stripped of Name, not only got an honored name of the Matriarch's ancestor, but got to choose a _second name,_ and got to choose it _herself_. This was beyond her belief, beyond her understanding.

"I hope this will do," the male interrupted, reappearing with…something.

"So long as it's plant-based I think it's fine." The Matriarch replied.

"This should be alright then," the male bared his teeth, making Maré shudder, and offered her the…things.

The things that she supposed was food were tan rectangular blocks, partly wrapped in shiny silver inedible material. She knew the silver stuff was inedible because she'd tried to eat some once out of a refuse pile back in the Other city on the New Land. The other stuff didn't look much tastier, but beggars cannot be choosers, so she reluctantly picked a piece of it up and tried it.

It didn't taste like much at all, it didn't even taste like dirt. The bland stuff was hideously dry in addition to being tasteless and was a bit hard to chew. But it didn't make her sick and it was filling. Before she realized it, all of it was gone.

"My, my, you were hungry," the male remarked, amazed.

Maré cringed in mortification. "Eat too much this one did?"

"No, not at all." The male bared his teeth again before taking the empty silver wrappings away.

Shuddering fearfully, she drew closer to the Matriarch for protection. The male meant to get rid of her as she was an impediment to mating with the Matriarch, she was certain. His bared teeth were only a sign of what was to come. Males did not care for offspring, their only interest was in gaining the attention of females, and offspring that got in the way of that didn't do well…

"What's wrong?" The Matriarch asked in concern.

"Dislike this one he does," Maré whimpered.

"What?" The Matriarch twisted her face into something that Maré recognized as a look of disapproval.

"Bared his teeth at this one he did," the Najiimite hurriedly explained.

"Bared his teeth?" The Matriarch repeated slowly. "Oh, no, he smiled. It means that he likes you."

"Smiled?" Maré repeated uncertainly.

"I guess Najiimites don't smile." The Matriarch sighed to herself. "Don't worry, I'll tell him to stop if it bothers you that much."

"Oh…well…this one wishes no trouble." Maré mumbled awkwardly.

"Don't worry about it, try to relax," the Matriarch suggested. "We have a whole day of waiting ahead of us before we get anywhere."

"This one will try," Maré promised. She had serious doubts that she would succeed though. These Others were just so strange…

* * *

Obi-Wan listened to Sabé talk to Maré and stroked his beard thoughtfully. He should've known better than to let his teeth show when he smiled. In most non-Human cultures, baring one's teeth was a sign of malice and aggression.

_I'm losing it,_ he sighed quietly. _It's a stupid mistake to make and I know better. If this keeps up, I'll start making mistakes that'll get myself or other Jedi caught and killed…_

"Honored Matriarch, this one has a question." Maré began very hesitantly.

"Ask," Sabé prompted gently.

"This male that assists us," Maré mumbled. "Long you have spoken with him. Interests you does he?"

"Well, yes, he is an old friend of mine," Sabé replied.

Maré sat quietly for a minute. "Will you mate with him?"

Had Obi-Wan been drinking anything at that particular moment, he probably would've sprayed it all over the wall. Had he been eating anything, he most likely would've choked on it. But as it was, he managed to choke on plain old air just fine.

Children could make some very strange leaps in logic. Children of alien species or from different cultures were even more prone to that behavior. Sometimes it was amusing, other times it was embarrassing. Obi-Wan decided to categorize this one as the latter.

Sabé had a similar reaction. "W-what?" She choked, obviously startled by the unexpected question.

"Will you mate with him?" Maré repeated calmly.

"Why do you ask?" Sabé countered.

"Well, why else show such interest in a male if not for the desire to mate with him?" Maré shrugged.

"Ah," Sabé sighed. "Um, well, that would be up to him, so I doubt it."

What turns the conversation took from that point, Obi-Wan had no idea. He left and headed to the small cabin where he slept and meditated. Sealing the door behind him, he slumped down onto the lower bunk and sighed deeply.

_Well that was…odd,_ he mused, settling into a meditative position. Exhaling deeply, he ran through the familiar exercises, drawing comfort from the sameness. Worries, wonderings, and cluttered thoughts were slowly swept away as he worked to re-center himself.

But something stuck in the back of his mind. Something that Sabé had said when she responded to Maré. Something about her answer—his eyes snapped open and he stared at the sealed door in the vague direction of the passenger compartment.

_Wait, **what**? _


	17. 16: The Heart

**Note: **Holy crap, over _two hudred_ reviews already!That's amazing! Thank you all! As a special treat, I've gotten off my lazy butt and scanned a sketch I did of Maré and put a link in my profile. Hope you like it and this new chapter. And have no fear, Anakin will make his triumphant return soon!

* * *

**Chapter 16**  
_The Heart_

Sabé was relieved when Maré finally drifted off to sleep. While talking with her was…interesting…the conversation had a tendency to drift in strange directions. So it was nice to get a break from trying to keep up with her alien leaps of logic.

_At least we got something done,_ Sabé cheerfully pointed out to herself. After the odd and embarrassing topic of 'mating' with Obi-Wan Kenobi had come up, she managed to get the conversation back to determining Maré's surname. And the young Najiimite eventually decided on Blackstone, since she had a fascination with rocks, especially black shiny ones.

Sighing, she wrapped the child up in her green cloak and carried the sleeping Najiimite towards where she'd seen a cabin. The way that Maré had sprawled over the seats hadn't looked like a very comfortable position to sleep in, a nice flat bed would be much better for her. Hopefully there would be a bed. This shuttle looked so small that there might not be one.

Shifting Maré in her arms, she raised her left hand and quietly rapped on the closed door in case Obi-Wan was inside doing something. She was almost ready to open the door herself when it slid open to reveal a small dark cabin and Obi-Wan. Her Jedi friend looked distant, like he was still trapped deeply in his own thoughts, and she wondered if he'd actually heard her knocking or had just happened to be leaving the room at the same time that she came up to it.

"Hey Obi-Wan, do you have any beds on this ship?" Sabé asked curiously.

Obi-Wan actually jumped a bit at the sound of her voice and the startled expression on his face was so funny-looking it took some serious effort not to laugh at him. "What?" He blinked, then caught sight of the sleeping Maré. "Oh…yes, this way."

He stepped back into the room he'd just been in the process of leaving and pointed her to the wall, just out of sight from the door. There were two bunk beds recessed into the wall to save space. They probably weren't designed for comfort, but they would serve their purpose just fine. She carefully deposited Maré on the lower bunk (putting her on the higher bed could result in injury or a panic attack when she woke up) and quietly exited the room.

"Sorry for taking over your room," Sabé apologized as she and Obi-Wan retreated to the passenger compartment, the most spacious area on the shuttle.

"It's fine," Obi-Wan reassured her, "I was going to give it up to the two of you for the night anyway."

"Really? Are you sure?" Sabé frowned slightly. It didn't seem right that he had to give his bed on his ship (well, his friend's ship) to her and Maré when she and the Najiimite could just share a bed and he could have the other.

"Yes. I've slept in worse places than a pilot's chair, you know." He pointed out wryly.

"Well alright," Sabé sighed, taking a seat and making herself comfortable.

"So," Obi-Wan settled down in the chair beside hers. "With the frightening male taken out of the equation, how did talks go?"

"Better, I think," Sabé cringed a little. "Sometimes her line of reasoning was hard to follow."

"Was understanding her more difficult than understanding a Gungan?" Obi-Wan asked curiously, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Well it depends on the Gungan," she grinned.

He chuckled, "the average Gungan."

"Hm," she tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I wouldn't say that it's terribly hard to understand a Gungan, but then I'm used to them. So I suppose that Gungan and Najiimite speech is equally tricky to understand."

Obi-Wan nodded. "When I listen to her talk, Master Yoda comes to mind," he smiled slightly.

Sabé mentally compared Master Yoda to Maré. The image of Maré, still young but easily twice the tiny Master's height, standing beside the diminutive troll-like Jedi made her giggle. For two beings who spoke so similarly, they looked as different as could be.

"Did he ever teach any of your classes?" She asked curiously.

"Master Yoda? Yes, he made it a point to teach all the younglings on Coruscant at least once." Obi-Wan replied.

"What was it like having someone like him for a teacher?" Sabé wondered.

"It was very interesting," he said after a moment's thought. "He was certainly the most unique teacher I had, aside from Master Qui-Gon."

Sabé nodded absently and started to play with her necklace. Mentioning Master Jinn brought to mind the end of the Trade Federation blockade, nearly fifteen years ago now. The Jedi Master's funeral, in particular, was seared into her mind and for a few years afterward she'd occasionally have nightmares about it.

_I know public cremation is the most honorable way to be remembered after death… But it's just so creepy!_ While Sabé loved Naboo and Nabooan culture, watching a loved one burn on a funeral pyre was something she could do without.

Obi-Wan tapped on the armrest of his chair for a minute, seemingly gathering his thoughts. "Tell me," he said at last. "What did you girls talk about while I was away?"

Sabé swallowed nervously. _Oh **fun**…_ "Well…we started out with an issue of names that was briefly interrupted by a strange assumption concerning Human reproductive practices. Then we moved on to a discussion on relationships, flowers, rocks, candy, why most species have to wear shoes which then led to the related topic of why most species have to wear clothes, and then I believe we ended on the subject of history and story-telling."

"Oh my," he blinked, apparently surprised (or perhaps impressed) at the wide variety of things discussed. "You were certainly busy."

"Yes," she smiled faintly. _I was busy…trying to follow all the twists and turns she made from one subject to another…_

"Hmm," Obi-Wan hummed thoughtfully. "What can you tell me about Padmé's offspring?"

"Well…" Sabé began to answer, but then abruptly stopped as a positively evil idea took root in her mind. "…you'll just have to wait and see when we get there."

"What?" He frowned, looking slightly worried.

"Let's just leave that a surprise," she grinned, "it'll be fun."

Obi-Wan's expression grew suspicious. "Why am I suddenly getting a bad feeling about all of this?"

Sabé just shrugged cheerfully, not feeling that she could get away with saying anything deceptive to the Jedi Master. He'd sense it and then her surprise would be blown. And she was really looking forward to the look on Obi-Wan's face when he met 'Padmé's offspring' in person.

"Sabé—" He began.

She reached into her bag and pulled out a datapad. "If you don't mind, I need to work on some of my notes," Sabé smiled politely. Before he could answer, she started working. She inwardly cringed at being so rude, but it was necessary, and it the end it would be all worth it…

* * *

Obi-Wan gaped at Sabé for a minute. She was definitely hiding something. And that something had to do with Padmé and Anakin's offspring. But what? Her profile held no answer for him, so he turned his worried gaze to the wall across from him instead. 

The gray durasteel wall had no answers for him either. So his mind wandered. And considering some of the things he'd heard and thought about recently, the places that his mind wandered to ended up bothering him.

He'd never had a girlfriend in the way that most non-Jedi defined the term. A few girls came close, two in particular. At the time, they'd felt quite serious, but now he knew that they weren't.

Cerasi, he'd admired. She'd been beautiful, smart, and passionate about her cause. He'd admired her and her goal of healing the rift between the people of Melida/Daan and had even gone so far as to temporarily leave the Jedi Order for her. But then she'd been assassinated and, having nothing left for him on Melida/Daan, he returned to the Order where he belonged.

Siri had been more serious. She'd been a friend first, and still was a friend to this day. Her sharp tongue, aggressive nature, and stubborn streak drove him up the wall most times. As Padawans together he spent most of his time trying to get her to slow down and think things through, plan things out. Yet somehow he'd found the time to become infatuated with her, to feel more for her than friendship, and so had she.

But it had come to nothing. They didn't leave the Order to be together like they had discussed once. They both loved being Jedi too much to do that. And over time, things had settled down between them, back into the old comfortable friendship. If it had ever really been real love between them, they would still feel it as his old Master had pined for his childhood friend, Tahl, to the end of his days.

And there was no shortage of non-Jedi females who would do anything for his affections. On practically every single mission during his apprenticeship there had been a female that had gone after him. Usually it was just flirting that left him uncomfortable and embarrassed, but sometimes a girl would all but throw herself at him and try to seduce him. While that problem had faded once he was knighted and grew the beard, there were still plenty of instances where he acquired an unwanted admirer.

He'd learned how to handle all of that. He'd mourned Cerasi, but he'd moved on, rededicating himself the Jedi, determined not to screw up so badly ever again. He'd learned from his struggles and inner turmoil with Siri, and gone on. And he found ways to cope with all the other unwanted female attention. But now he'd run into something new.

This…thing…with Sabé was different. The entire time that he'd known her, all she'd ever seemed interested in was friendship with him. She had never asked for anything else from him but his company, a little conversation, and one time a haircut. And now he found that that was not necessarily true.

When young Maré had innocently asked if Sabé would mate with him, she hadn't said no. Instead she said that it was up to him, that it was unlikely. And he read that answer to mean that she was attracted to him and was interested in a physical relationship if he was.

He really didn't know what to think of that. He certainly appreciated the fact that she'd merely sought friendship instead of jumping further and looking for more like most other women had. And she was kind and interesting and funny and pretty and—

Obi-Wan shook his head and killed that line of thought right then and there. _Force, I'm forty years old, I shouldn't be thinking about…about **that**!_ And then… _Force, I'm forty… Where did the time go?_

"What are you thinking about?" Sabé asked, distracting him from his troubling thoughts.

"Oh, just realizing how old I'm getting," Obi-Wan sighed, slumping a little in his chair.

"Old?" Sabé frowned. "You're not old."

"I'm forty years old," he informed her.

She hesitated a moment before replying. "That's not very old," she insisted. "I had a neighbor growing up who didn't get married until he was fifty years old. And my father told me a story of some distant relative who didn't marry until she was nearly _seventy _and then she was started talking about having children."

Obi-Wan was reluctantly impressed. "Forty is still old," he insisted.

"Forty is middle-aged, not old." Sabé retorted. "Wait twenty years and then you can complain."

"As you command, milady." He chuckled, mildly amused.

"Good," she nodded. "Now what else were you thinking about?"

"What else was I thinking about?" He repeated back, feeling the vaguest trace of unease settle in his stomach.

"Well, I would hope that you just didn't spend a half an hour moping about being old," she shrugged.

"Oh," he blinked, "I was just…remembering things."

"What sort of things?" She asked curiously, resting her chin on her fist.

"Some people that I knew when I was younger," he swallowed.

"Like who? Old girlfriends?" She teased.

"Um," he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "I suppose you could say that."

"O-oh?" She blinked, startled.

Sabé stayed quiet for a while and Obi-Wan began to worry. She probably saw him as the stoic Jedi Master before. What did she think of him now? Perhaps he should've just denied it…

"So," she broke the smothering silence, "have a lot of girlfriends during your days as a young dashing Padawan?"

Obi-Wan let slip a half-nervous, half-embarrassed laugh. "No, not really."

"Really?" Sabé snorted. "I have a hard time believing that."

"Believe it," Obi-Wan retorted. "There were only one or two women that I ever felt seriously about, but I never went very far with either of them." As soon as he said that, he wondered if he should have.

"Oh?" Sabé murmured, looking faintly anxious. But then her expression turned curious. "Who were these girls, if I may ask?"

"One was called Cerasi and she was from Melida/Daan," Obi-Wan replied hesitantly. "She was killed not too long after I met her."

Sabé winced. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," he smiled weakly, "it was a long time ago. And Siri happened to be a fellow Jedi, so that was doomed from the start."

"Is…is she alright?" Sabé asked with concern.

At first, he was confused by her worry, but then it clicked. _Right…Order 66…_ "She's fine," he assured her. "In fact, this ship happens to be hers," Obi-Wan chuckled.

"If this is her ship, where is she?" Sabé frowned slightly in confusion.

"Siri has found a safe place to stay," he replied carefully. "And since I would still be wandering around out here where I would need transportation, she so kindly lent me her shuttle."

"That was nice of her," Sabé smiled, dropping her eyes to her lap.

"Yes it was," he agreed. "However, what would've been better was if she found a less rusty ship to buy…"

Sabé giggled a little. "Well you can't always have everything that you want."

"I know," Obi-Wan sighed ruefully. _I know… _

Her giggles died away and she grew quiet and thoughtful. It was getting late now, not that it was apparent from the unchanging glow of hyperspace that spilled in through the small round windows that lined the sides of the passenger compartment. She unconsciously began to play with her necklace, a pendant of gray stone, with one hand.

"Where did you get that necklace?" He asked curiously.

"Hm?" She glanced down at the pendant in her hand. "Oh, this was my grandmother's, she gave it me as a gift."

"Were you close to her?" Obi-Wan inquired. He couldn't remember a time after the Trade Federation Incident where she hadn't been wearing the necklace.

"My father says that I was, though I can barely remember her now," Sabé replied. "She died when I was very young."

"Oh," he mumbled, feeling vaguely awkward.

"When she was still alive, I'd go to her house in the country every weekend that my father could take me. We'd all bake cookies together and pick flowers and have little fancy tea parties." Sabé smiled slightly as she reminisced. "It was all great fun and I think that those times were some of the best of my childhood. I always threw fits when it was time for me to go home because I wanted to stay longer." She hesitated and then glanced over at him curiously. "Did you ever meet your family?"

Obi-Wan was a bit startled by the question. "Um, yes, I visited them a few times as a young Padawan."

Sabé perked up in interest. "What were they like?"

"Well…" Obi-Wan settled back in his chair and stroked his beard as he shifted through his memory. "My mother died shortly after I was born, so I never met her. My father worked at one of the many landing docks on Coruscant, shifting cargo around. And my brother was a few years older than I was, and I think he was working towards being a freighter pilot."

It felt so very strange to talk about his family. Jedi never asked each other about their families because familial attachment meant nothing to them. Most Jedi never met their biological relations anyway, so any questions about them were pointless.

"Did you keep in touch with them after you were knighted?" She asked.

"No," he swallowed. "The last time I saw them I was…seventeen. After that Master Qui-Gon and I were kept busy with a lot of missions so there wasn't much time to spare for any visit. And then, after Qui-Gon died, I left Coruscant behind for Corellia. Then along came Anakin and then the war… There simply wasn't any time to try and track them down for lunch." _And when there was time, they never crossed my mind._

"Oh, that's too bad," she sighed.

"So, what about your family?" Obi-Wan asked.

"My father is a professor of Nabooan folk lore and mythology at the University of Vedas, a college located in a port city near Naboo's equator. My mother worked in a dress-maker's shop before she married, and after she married she dedicated herself to raising her family and making sure we all made advantageous matches." Sabé wrinkled her nose in distaste. "And I have two sisters, one older and one younger, and a younger brother. Last I heard, my older sister was happily married, my younger sister was engaged, and my brother was still looking for a serious girlfriend."

"What do you mean your mother made sure that you all made 'advantageous matches?'" Obi-Wan wondered.

Sabé wrinkled her face in disgust. "While mother wanted us to be happy with the person we married, she also wanted us to find someone well-off financially and socially. If one of us brought home someone that didn't meet her standards, she let us know."

Obi-Wan was quite startled at the amount of negativity he sensed in Sabé. "I take it that the two of you didn't get along very well," he said slowly.

"You could say that," she snorted bitterly. "Ever since I went away to school at the Theed Academy I've been disappointing and defying her. I think at this point she's resigned herself to the fact that I'll never find a 'decent' husband to settle down and have children with. Well, actually, at this point she thinks I'm dead, but to her it's almost the same thing."

"Was it really that bad?" He asked quietly.

"I always thought so," she shrugged. "I never got along with my mother or her branch of the family; they all had a similar attitude. I was much closer to my father and his relatives."

"Oh." Obi-Wan felt bad for having touched on such a sore topic and focused his gaze on his folded hands while his mind desperately scrambled for something more pleasant to talk about.

"You know," Sabé said after a pause, "I thought that you'd go back to that scruffy-looking hairstyle now that it's not a good idea to look like a clean-cut Jedi Master."

"But I like my hair the way it is," he frowned.

She smirked over at him. "I seem to remember similar protests before I managed to persuade you to get a haircut."

"Yes, well…" He trailed off, finding no argument to counter her. _Some Negotiator I am…_

Sabé gave a little laugh and reached up to play with his hair a little. "Let it grow out a bit. You're a migrant spacer now; you're supposed to look scruffy."

"Hey!" He sputtered and leaned away from her hand. "Don't do that."

A mischievous glint appeared in her dark eyes and a sly little smile spread over her face. She pushed up the armrest, the only solid object that divided their adjoining seats, and then she lunged at him. The next thing Obi-Wan knew, he was pressed up against the wall of the shuttle with Sabé practically sitting on his lap and playing with his hair to her heart's content. He really wasn't sure what to think of this.

"Um, Sabé?" He blinked dazedly. "Isn't this rather…juvenile?"

"Yes," she grinned and let her hands fall from his hair, "but you have to let your inner child out to play sometimes or you'll just go crazy."

"I…see," Obi-Wan swallowed.

Her cheery expression slipped a bit. "Am I bothering you?"

"No, I-I'm just a little surprised," he hurriedly assured her, shoving back his anxiety as best he could.

"Liar," she sighed. Sabé leaned in closer and gave him a hug. "But thanks for putting up with me."

He took a shaky breath and returned the embrace. "You're very welcome."

They sat that way for a long time. Almost long enough for him to get comfortable with it. But then she pulled away and headed for the small sleeping cabin and the top bunk to catch some shut-eye. And he was left alone.

Never before had he really regretted have been raised a Jedi. Not with Cerasi, not with Siri. Now, though, something in him ached for Sabé, and he didn't know how to deal with it, or with her. Everything he'd ever been taught in regards to relationships with the opposite sex rose up to trap him, and he wasn't sure that he could get past it now. He wasn't the naïve teenager he once was, eager and willing to defy the Code.

_I have no idea what I'm doing._ Obi-Wan admitted to himself with a sigh. _I'm getting too old for this… _


	18. 17: The Visit

**Chapter 17**  
_The Visit_

When 'morning' came (by the ship's clock), Sabé sat beside Maré in the passenger compartment and waited. Very soon they'd transition out of hyperspace into the Verdant System. And then Obi-Wan would need some final directions to make it to Viscan's spaceport.

Maré bounced anxiously in her seat, kicking her little, black, cloven hooves back and forth. Sabé kept her hand on the Najiimite child's wrist to prevent her from getting up and rushing to the window. The transition could be rough and she didn't want the little alien to get tossed around.

The youngling had been very quiet all morning, except for once asking when there would be more food. Sabé didn't make much effort to break the silence as she felt no need to talk. What she felt the need to do was to think, and think she did.

_I really need a vacation,_ she decided. _Between babysitting the terror twins and running errands for Padmé there's no time left to just waste a day relaxing or having fun. Before the fall of the Republic I could at least pry Padmé away from work once in a while for a fun shopping trip or something…_

The shuttle jolted as it decelerated out of light speed and Sabé sighed. In a few minutes Obi-Wan would come to her for the rest of the directions. While she didn't quite dread that approaching encounter, she really wasn't looking forward to it either.

_Yes, I need a vacation,_ she shifted in her seat. _I'm starting to do crazy things, like jump on a Jedi Master so I can play with his hair… Yeah, I'm definitely losing it._

She looked up when she heard the hollow clump of boots on the durasteel deck and watched as Obi-Wan approached. He looked a little tired, she noticed, and he paused a bit further away than he normally would have. She guessed that he was probably worried that she'd jump him again.

"We've arrived in the Verdant System," Obi-Wan announced, "so where will we be landing?"

Sabé reached into her bag and pulled out a scrap of paper that she written on earlier. "Here you go," she smiled.

He skimmed the instructions, then nodded his satisfaction with them. "We should land in around ten minutes," he informed her and then returned to the cockpit.

"Soon, is this?" Maré asked quietly.

"Yes, we'll be there soon." Sabé nodded distractedly.

"This place," Maré hesitantly began, "what will it be like?"

"Xendiir?" Sabé blinked. "Well, it's very warm there. It rains a lot. It's pretty humid most of the time."

"Humid?" Maré repeated questioningly.

_Ah, how to explain that in simple terms…_ "The air feels thicker and warmer than normal," Sabé replied.

"Oh," Maré nodded in understanding.

"There's a lot of jungle where we live," Sabé continued, "and a lake."

"Open spaces, are there?" Maré inquired curiously.

Sabé shook her head. "No, not very many."

"No room to run?" Maré gulped.

"Not much," Sabé sighed.

"Oh," Maré mumbled.

_Well, you were so desperate to come with me…_ "Try to keep an open mind." Sabé advised. "I'm sure you'll like it."

"Of course, Honored Matriarch." Maré nodded dully.

"You can just call me 'Sabé' if you'd like." Sabé pointed out.

Maré dark glassy eyes threatened to pop out of her skull. "Oh no! No, no, no! This unworthy one could not do such a thing!"

"You are not unworthy," Sabé insisted for what felt like the millionth time. "And really, I would prefer it if you called me 'Sabé.'"

The young Najiimite just gaped at her, uncomprehendingly. Sabé didn't say anything more and just let Maré grapple with this shocking idea. It would probably take a while, but she could be patient.

_I can be patient. I'll need to stock up on cookie-making supplies, but I can do it._

* * *

Obi-Wan flinched slightly as he opened the shuttle doors and felt the in-rush of hot humid air. Xendiir around noon could charitably be called a sauna. All that was missing was the visible steam. 

Surrounding the tiny Viscan spaceport on most sides he could see towering jungle trees. The vegetation was a dark green, all the better to take advantage of the sunlight. Some of the leaves even looked black. Xendiir's dense jungle was impressive, but it had nothing on the Wookiee world of Kashyyyk.

The only view he had that wasn't taken up with rainforest was just behind the small, squat spaceport building. It was a hazy view of a small town that the planetary map had labeled as Viscan. There really didn't look to be much there, which really made it clear to him just how remote this place was.

Sabé slipped past him and fished a comm-link out of her bag as she strolled down the ramp. He watched her whisper into the device for a minute before looking around for his other passenger. The Najiimite youngling stood just off to the side and a few steps back, curving her long neck so that she could peer out of the doorway from a safe position.

Obi-Wan smiled faintly at the youngling's obvious awe, careful to keep his teeth from showing so that his expression was not misconstrued. He really didn't have to worry about that though, since Maré was completely fixated on her new environment. Her kind had only gone into space once previously, and that had been thousands of years ago. So her culture did nothing to prepare her for a journey to a new planet.

"The view is much better outside of the ship," he pointed out when it was clear that Maré wasn't going to move anytime soon.

She jumped and stared at him with wild eyes. "It's so different!"

"Yes, it is," he agreed quietly.

"The greens are so strange!" Maré breathed.

Obi-Wan merely nodded.

The Najiimite child gawked for a few minutes longer before tentatively putting one hoof at the top of the boarding ramp. A few minutes after that, she took another step. Another long pause brought another step, and then another. Then, just before she reached the halfway point, she bolted the rest of the way down and firmly attached herself to Sabé's side.

Obi-Wan chuckled a bit and strolled down the ramp to join them. Sabé had finished her call by that time and now was free to try and soothe the anxious young alien. Maré was mostly oblivious to Sabé's efforts as she was too overwhelmed by everything.

"So, how are we getting to Padmé's place?" Obi-Wan asked curiously.

"Typho's coming to pick us up," Sabé answered.

He nodded and then had a thought. "Does he know who you've brought back with you?"

"No," Sabé smirked slightly. "I just told him to expect a couple of guests."

Obi-Wan swallowed a laugh. "This reminds me of something—"

"—that Anakin did?" Sabé's smirk widened. "Yes, I'm ripping off his little trick. Padmé and Typho could use a good surprise."

He shook his head and smiled. "Right." _Anakin…look what you've started._

"What's that?" Maré asked breathlessly, pointing towards a tiny moving dot just visible beyond the squat spaceport building.

Sabé shaded her eyes against the sun and peered at the indicated object. "That would by Captain Typho coming to pick us up."

"That was fast," Obi-Wan remarked.

"Oh he was already in town when I called," Sabé replied.

Within a few minutes, the dot had resolved itself into a sleek, blue, closed-top landspeeder. The speeder came up to the edge of the duracrete landing pad and parked. The whine of the vehicle's engines unnerved Maré and the Najiimite did her best to melt into Sabé's dress. And when Captain Typho climbed out of the speeder, she cowered even more at the sight of him.

"It looks like your dress has developed a life of its own," Typho teased as he approached.

"Ha ha, very funny," Sabé sighed and patted Maré's head soothingly.

"So" – Typho squinted his one eye at what little he could see of Maré – "this is one of those guests you mentioned?"

"Yes," Sabé nodded.

Typho raised a questioning eyebrow. "Now where's the other one?"

Obi-Wan did his best not to laugh. It seemed that the security man didn't think that the shuttle's 'captain' would be the other surprise guest.

Sabé's answer was to simply point in Obi-Wan's direction.

Typho looked over at Obi-Wan, stared for a minute, and then gaped in astonishment. "Master Kenobi!" He gasped.

"Hello Captain Typho," Obi-Wan bowed slightly, "how are you?"

"I-I'm fine," the dark-skinned Nabooan collected himself and grinned. "How are _you_?"

"Well enough." Obi-Wan smiled slightly, only partly forcing it.

"Come on, you two can talk on the way back!" Sabé called as she was loading Maré and herself into the speeder's back seat.

_What's the rush?_ Obi-Wan wondered as he sensed her rising excitement. _I'm missing something here._

"Fine," Typho agreed and returned to the driver's seat.

Obi-Wan claimed the front passenger seat to avoid putting any unnecessary stress on little Maré. It would also make it easier to chat with Captain Typho. But he couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something important.

_Well, whatever it is, I'll find out soon enough…_

* * *

Padmé was sorely tempted to rip out her hair in sheer frustration. Her pair of Jedi-spawn were overdue for their bi-weekly bath and they knew it just as well as she did. The two of them had determined not to go into the tub quietly and were currently leading her on a wild Mott chase through the castle. 

"Luke!" She shouted. "Leia! Come out and we'll get this over with quickly"

Of course it's impossible to negotiate or compromise with almost-two-year-olds. They didn't want to suffer through the indignity of a bath, so they wouldn't. If she wanted to bathe her dirty little babies, she had to catch them. And that was easier said than done, especially when dealing with Force-sensitive twins.

"Where are you?" Padmé frowned as she walked through the house in search of her rebellious offspring.

She searched methodically, floor by floor. If she could catch them on the stairs, she had them. They were still small enough for stairs to give them trouble. But if she went against them on flat ground, they could still escape for they were surprisingly fast for their tiny size.

"Luke?" She peeked under a tablecloth that was a favored hiding place. "Leia?" No Luke _or_ Leia.

Padmé sighed deeply and descended the front stairs into the foyer to start a search of the ground floor. _Now if I was a two-year-old who didn't want to take a bath, where would I hide?_ She paused in the grand foyer, crossed her arms over her chest, and tapped her toe on the black and pale gray marble floor as she pondered her next move.

The front doors opened and she jumped a bit in surprise. Quickly recovering herself, she turned to the doorway. She expected to see Typho returning with a bunch of replacement parts for the sap collectors. And she did see Typho, but he wasn't the only one there.

"Sabé, you made it back! And—" Padmé did a double-take. "Obi-Wan!"

"Hello Padmé," the Jedi grinned, sketching a quick bow.

He looked very much like he had when she'd last seen him. The only real difference that stood out to her was his clothing. Instead of his usual Jedi robes, he wore a torn up spacer outfit that had probably been put together after visiting a few thrift stores near Corellian space. But in every other way, he looked the same.

Padmé beamed and hurried over to give him a big hug. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you!" She sighed and stepped back to give him a little room. "Please tell me some good news."

Obi-Wan's cheerful smile faded into a more thoughtful, slightly worried expression. "Well…"

"You didn't find him," Padmé stated flatly. _Damn! I was really hoping that he'd bring me Anakin so that I can strangle him! Or, better yet, make Anakin give his children a bath **and then** strangle him!_

"No, not yet." Obi-Wan smiled sadly. "But I haven't finished looking yet. And I _did_ find a Jedi haven."

"That's a good thing," Padmé agreed, though her mind was more consumed with her wayward children and their still missing father.

"So, were you waiting for us?" Sabé asked curiously.

"No, I wish I had been," Padmé laughed humorlessly. "I made the mistake of mentioning the word 'bath' a little too soon and now I'm on a scavenger hunt."

"Oh no," Typho groaned.

Sabé suffered a giggle fit.

As Padmé fixed her dear friend with an annoyed glare, she noticed something. There was a strange little creature hovering in Sabé's shadow. It was a furry pale tan thing with a long neck and long limbs. Whatever-is-was had a tiny pair of black horns, little black cloven hooves on its feet, a thick black stripe running along the sides of its neck, and was dressed in a dirty scrap of cloth that imitated a short dress.

"Who is this?" Padmé asked curiously, bending over to get a better look at it.

The little thing jumped and stared at her with wide, black, glassy eyes. If it could speak, it seemed to be too overwhelmed by the castle to use its voice. It looked very much like a wild animal crossing a road at night that had been caught in the bright lights of an on-coming speeder.

"This would be Maré Blackstone," Sabé replied when she got her giggles under control. "And she would be my souvenir from Najiim."

Padmé glanced up at Sabé with a questioning expression. "Oh?"

"It's a long story," Sabé grinned sheepishly, "I'll tell you later."

"I'm looking forward to it," Padmé smirked and straightened up.

"Right," Sabé swallowed. "Now on to the business at hand…" She took a few more steps inside, her little alien shadow following her every step of the way. "Hello!" She shouted. "I'm home! Who wants to help me make some cookies?"

_Bribery,_ Padmé mused, _why didn't **I** think of that?_

It didn't take very long for Sabé to get results. A few minutes later, excited childish squeals and the pattering of tiny feet were audible. And then shortly after that, the two fugitive children appeared and hurried over to 'Auntie Sabé' to assist in making cookies.

They both looked rather dusty and grimy, making her think that they'd hidden behind a couch in a room that hadn't been cleaned lately. Leia's brown hair had come half out of its braids and her little pink dress was wrinkled. And Luke didn't look much better with his blonde hair all messy and falling in his blue eyes.

"Hmm, I see two cookie-making volunteers," Sabé noted. "But you're so dirty. If you want to help me make cookies, you'll need to take a bath."

"No!" Luke moaned.

"No baff!" Leia declared, stamping her little foot.

"Yes bath," Sabé retorted. "If you two don't take your bath, then I won't make any cookies."

"No!" Luke wailed, distraught.

"No _baff_!" Leia insisted, stomping her foot again.

Sabé merely crossed her arms over her chest and stared down at them. The twins stared back up at her, Leia in determination, Luke in pleading despair. Luke was the first to break.

"Mama!" Luke whimpered and ran over to grab Padmé's hand. "I wready for baff now!"

"Good," Padmé smiled. "What about you, Leia?"

"_No baff!_" Leia shrieked, jumping up and down.

"If you don't take your bath, you won't get any cookies." Sabé declared. "But since Luke is being a good boy, he will."

Leia scrunched up her tiny angelic face into something angry and rather ugly as she glared up at Sabé, but that didn't last long. When Sabé didn't so much as blink, the little girl burst into angry frustrated tears. Very reluctantly, with much noisy sobbing, she trudged over to take Padmé's other hand.

Padmé sighed and carefully led them upstairs to the nearest bathroom that possessed a bath tub. "I don't see why you two are making such a fuss. You always loved bath time before…"

* * *

Sabé shook her head as Padmé vanished upstairs with her two little devils. She knew why the twins were being such uncooperative terrors. They were barely a month away from being two years old, the evil age for toddlers. The only thing worse than the Terrible Twos was the Teenage Years, and that was only because that stage lasted longer. 

She turned back towards the door and was immediately swamped by another fit of giggles. Obi-Wan had yet to recover from the shock of meeting his former apprentice's offspring. And the expression that was frozen on his face was absolutely priceless.

"I see that Sabé neglected to inform you about a thing or two." Typho chuckled.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said after a moment, still staring at the point where Padmé and her brood had vanished.

"Sabé, you're terrible," Typho laughed and left to unload the speeder.

"I know," Sabé giggled, "I know." _Oh, I wish I had a camera!_

"What's so funny?" Maré asked blankly.

"Nothing," Sabé sighed and wiped at her eyes. "Nothing at all. Come on, I'll show you around."

She led the Najiimite out of the foyer to give her the grand tour. She considered inviting Obi-Wan along too, but didn't, because if she did she'd just burst out laughing again. So she left him behind to gather himself and adjust to the knowledge that his young friend hadn't fathered one child, but two.

* * *

Evening seemed to come astonishingly quickly, but that was probably because he was still reeling a bit from his most unexpected introduction to the Skywalker twins. Obi-Wan sighed and stared out towards the lake from the castle's largest balcony just outside the small ballroom. The idea that Anakin had created two children instead of one somehow made him feel twice as old as he already did. 

_Sometimes it only feels like a few months ago that Anakin was my little paranoid teenage sidekick._ Obi-Wan leaned on the carved stone railing and ran a hand through his hair. _And all of a sudden he's grown up with two children that he hasn't had the chance to meet yet…_

"Credit for your thoughts?"

Obi-Wan glanced back to see Sabé slipping outside to join him.

"Oh, just feeling old again," he smiled weakly.

"You're not old," Sabé snorted, joining him at the railing.

"If you say so," he chuckled.

"I do say so," she declared. "Now, anything else on your mind?"

_Oh yes, a great deal. But I think I'll save most of it for the next time I run into Qui-Gon._ "I…I just can't get over the fact that there's two of them."

"Well, you should've seen Padmé's face when the medical droid on Polis Massa told her." Sabé smirked. "She said 'both babies? What do you mean _both babies_?'"

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan blinked. "She didn't know before that?"

"No, she told the droid that she'd been seeing before to keep things a surprise and only tell her of any complications." She rolled her eyes. "Apparently having twins isn't considered a complication."

He couldn't help but laugh a little at her sarcastic derision of the limitations of modern medical droids. "At least it was only two children and not more than that," he pointed out.

"Very true," Sabé agreed. "I don't know what we would do if there were triplets."

"I'd imagine that you'd be a lot busier if that was the case," he chuckled. "Does Luke usually follow strangers around like that?" He asked, recalling how the little boy had become his silent shadow after his bath and cookie-making.

"No, actually that was very odd for him." Sabé frowned thoughtfully. "He's rather shy around visitors. Even with neighbors it can take him an hour or two to warm up enough to go and talk or play with them. I've never seen him follow someone like that." She tapped her chin. "Maybe it's because you're a Jedi. He's never met a Jedi before."

"Perhaps," he nodded. Now that he thought about it, Leia had been shooting him suspicious glances the entire afternoon while Luke had followed him in mute fascination.

"I suppose we'll find out for sure when Anakin finally gets his butt down here," Sabé mused. "If he ever finds his way here."

"He will," Obi-Wan assured. "I'll make sure that he does, no matter how long it takes."

"Thank you," Sabé smiled warmly.

Obi-Wan felt his mouth go dry.

"Though, if you do find him first," her smile turned slightly wicked, "do me a favor and don't tell him that there are two of them."

Obi-Wan laughed. "Alright, I'll do that…on the condition that you never tell him how ridiculous I looked when you sprang the surprise on me."

"Deal," Sabé giggled.

He smiled, satisfied with their little agreement.

Then the ever-present blanket of clouds parted and the yellow orb of Xendiir's moon was briefly visible, casting a little extra light on the dark muggy night. He suddenly found himself entranced by her. Sabé seemed similarly effected, and for a long minute they just gazed at each other. And then she bit her lip and looked away, ending it.

_What was **that**?_ He wondered, bewildered.

"It's almost time for their bedtime story," Sabé sighed, "and it's my turn tonight." She started to head inside, but paused in the doorway. "Care to join me?"

"Oh?" Obi-Wan blinked, still a bit thrown off balance.

"There's a good story that you can help me with," she smiled mischievously. "A little story about a false queen and the young knight who guarded her…"

He lifted an eyebrow. "Knight?"

"Would you rather be a squire?" She smirked.

"No, that's fine," he chuckled.

"Good," she nodded. "Now will you be my little story-telling assistant?"

Obi-Wan smiled a little and followed her inside. "I would love to, Milady…"

* * *

**Note:** Woohoo, only one chapter more stands in the way of Anakin's return to the spotlight! 


	19. 18: Something's Got to Give

**Chapter 18**  
_Something's Got to Give_

Darra ran through an unarmed kata, putting more force than necessary into her punches and kicks. Increasing the challenge of this particular kata, she kept her eyes closed so she had to focus more and depend on the guidance of the Force to keep from hurting herself. Keeping her focus tight, she put all her attention on her exercises, leaving no room for any other thoughts.

However, when she finished, the other thoughts poured back into the forefront of her mind. Shaking her head in mute frustration, she left the passenger compartment of the shuttle for the refresher. Her workout had left her feeling sweaty and disgusting and the sonic shower was calling her name.

She and Ferus were on a supply run to Roon, a trade world of the Outer Rim. The planet was tide-locked, one side was bathed in the light of continual day and the other was trapped in the blackness eternal night. They had landed on the day side in one of the port cities and now Ferus was off gathering the supplies they had come for while she guarded the ship.

The children remained on Sanctuary. They had Care Masters again, and there was no reason to drag them along. They were happy and safe on the hidden Jedi world. And it also freed up the passenger compartment, effectively doubling the shuttle's cargo capacity. Once Ferus returned, they'd be putting every cubic millimeter of space to use.

It was like that every time they were sent out to acquire things, roughly twice a month. Ever since they found their way to Sanctuary, they and their shuttle had been put to work. For over a year now, twice monthly, they left the safety of the Shroud Nebula to get whatever the exiled Order needed.

And always had been the two of them. The Masters viewed her and Ferus as a very effective team and saw no reason to separate them. Darra really wished that they would.

Ferus had an interest in her beyond friendship. He hadn't said so _directly_, he'd never said "I love you," or "marry me," or anything, but his words and how he said them spoke clearly to her. And it made her exceedingly uncomfortable.

Never before had she cursed her ability to touch the Force, but now she did. The Force made her acutely aware of how close he was to her; she knew when he was watching her. At times his shielding would slip a bit and then she would sense whispers of his affection for, and attraction to, her.

It made the back of her neck and spine prickle. Her focus would crumble, her face would get hot, and her hands grew clumsy and sweaty. Then almost all she could think about would be him.

While she could easily escape Ferus' company on Sanctuary, on the shuttle she was stuck with him. There was no hiding from him in flight, especially when they were packed to the ceiling with cargo on the return trip. Then she was trapped in the cockpit with him and there was no where else to go. It wasn't like she could hide out in the refresher the entire time.

Darra scowled into the small refresher's tiny mirror and started to braid her hair. Her reactions to Ferus were ridiculous and childish, yet despite all her efforts she couldn't make them stop. Three months ago she'd finally been knighted, but if the Council ever picked up on this little problem of hers, she was certain that they'd demote her back to Padawan Learner. Her scowl deepened at that thought.

Just as she was finishing up in the refresher, she sensed Ferus' return. The instant she recognized his approaching presence, her face grew warm and an anxious knot twisted up in her insides. Her fingers fumbled at little in turning the sink on. Shuddering, she splashed some cool water over her face.

_Force, what is wrong with me?_

* * *

Ferus dragged the back of his hand over his sweaty forehead and sighed. The warm weather of Roon's endless day twisted into something unpleasant now that he was engaged in strenuous physical activity. He really wished that they could get a few laborer droids to do these sorts of things. But they didn't have the credits to spare for something like that. 

All the credits that he had to work with were hard-earned and not to be wasted on unnecessary things. Some Jedi had acquired cargo ships and reinvented themselves as freighter pilots, though most of them were pushed into being smugglers. Then they would shunt as much of their pay as they could afford back to the hidden Order. And the rest of the credits were liberated from frozen Jedi accounts by Jedi with a talent for data slicing.

He used the credits he was given to purchase whatever the Council put on his current shopping list. The usual items were food and cloth to make clothing. But he'd also had to purchase medical supplies, ship parts, building materials, and various other specialized items. Basically whatever they couldn't get on Sanctuary he had to go buy. And that was almost everything but air and water.

Smiling faintly in relief, he came to the final pallet of crates. Soon he'd be done and he could relax and take a shower. Soon, but not soon enough. It was difficult to remember patience in times like these.

Stretching out his arms and back, he tackled the final obstacles to his rest and cleanliness. Hefting up one crate at a time, he lugged each one up the ramp and passed it to Darra who stubbornly refused to look at him. He kept on passing boxes until the pallet was empty.

It would be much easier to use the Force and simply levitate the boxes into the shuttle. It would certainly be a lot faster. But it was far too risky to so blatantly call upon the Force in broad daylight. It would be insane to levitate the crates merely for his own convenience. So he was stuck doing everything by hand, just like everyone else.

When the pallet was finally empty, Ferus fed the port's laborer droid a few credits and it began to cart the empty pallets away. Rolling his shoulders to relieve the tight muscles, he trudged up the ramp and back into the shuttle. Again Darra refused to look at him as he passed her on the way to the refresher and he sighed in a mixture of weariness and frustration.

Ever since that visit to the beach on Hypondrix, she'd been frustrating to deal with. He'd taken great pains to treat her no differently than he had before she'd had any idea about what he felt for her. Yet she acted almost like he was some scummy stranger from a bar who was leering at her all the time.

She radiated anxiety whenever he was near her. He also felt a lot of confusion swirling underneath that anxiety. And there were hints of other things buried under the confusion, but they were too subtle and fleeting for him to even hope to identify.

He really didn't know what to make of any of it. He certainly didn't know what to do about it now. It seemed that the old easy friendship that they'd once shared was broken beyond repair, gone forever.

_Me and my big mouth._ Ferus sighed, stripped down, and hopped into the sonic shower. _I'm such an idiot…_

* * *

Darra huddled in the co-pilot's seat and sighed. Ferus would be here soon. He never took long showers, no matter whether they were water or sound based. And then her solitude would come to an end. She dreaded that more than anything else these days, like she'd once dreaded her Navigation Mathematics class. 

She tried to think ahead a few days when they would land on Sanctuary. Then she could escape from Ferus, visit with the children, whatever she wanted. Yet the fact that she felt that she had to avoid Ferus at all, bothered her deeply.

They'd always been friends. They'd probably even slept in each other's cribs back in the crèche as toddlers. As young Padawans they and their Masters had gone on many missions together. They, and their friend Tru Veld the Teevan, had been a solid team. Even with Tru gone into the eternal embrace of the Force, the two of them had remained a formidable pair. But now, it seemed, those days were history.

_I miss those good old days. I miss Tru. We all used to have so much fun together…_

"Everything all set to go?" Ferus asked as he entered the cockpit.

"Yes," Darra answered tersely, flinching slightly.

"Good, let's go then." Ferus sighed and began warming up the engines.

Darra made no reply. They never really talked anymore. And all because of the awkward block that she suddenly found between them.

When the engines were hot, Ferus got clearance from the tower and lifted off. It didn't take very long for them to climb through the atmosphere and reach the hyper-limit. Then it was a simple matter of calling up the preprogrammed coordinates, locking them in, and pulling the lever. And then there was nothing more to do for almost two whole days but wait…

"I hate this!" She blurted out, surprising herself.

"You hate what?" He asked cautiously.

"_This!_" She sputtered, at a loss at how to properly express herself.

"What?" He frowned.

"We don't talk anymore," she sighed. "I wish we never stopped on Hypondrix. It screwed everything up!"

"Yes, I agree." Ferus nodded. "And…I don't."

"Huh?" Darra blinked at him in confusion.

He stared down at the piloting console, gathering his thoughts. "I always wanted to tell you what how I felt. But I was afraid to. The Code was in the way and you were always so fixated on…him." He idly traced a formless pattern around some of the buttons with his index finger. "It drove me crazy sometimes that I had to keep it to myself."

Darra chewed at her lower lip. "Why do you even like me like that anyway? You've known me forever. I'm not anybody new and intriguing."

"I have no idea," Ferus shrugged. "I just do. There's no other way that I know how to explain it."

"It doesn't make any sense," she frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "How can you suddenly fall in love with someone you've known your whole life?"

"I don't know," he grumbled, blushing slightly. "All I know is the Code and what we were taught in the Temple. This goes beyond that."

"Yeah, I guess it does." She reluctantly agreed. "Maybe that's why I never got anywhere with Va-Anakin." She stumbled over the name, still caught up in her memories of the enigmatic man. "I didn't have any idea of what I was doing."

"That's probably part of it." He nodded.

"Part of it? What's the rest of it?" She asked slowly.

"Well, this is only my opinion, but…" He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "You can't make someone love you. You tried to force yourself on him almost, and it only drove him further away. From what I saw, the more you went after him, the more he tried to avoid you."

Darra wanted to snap back at him, to deny what he was saying. But she held her tongue, took a deep breath, and forced herself to consider what he told her. And after some hard thinking, she found that he was most likely right.

"But how else was I supposed to get him to notice me?" She sighed in frustration.

"I don't know," he shrugged helplessly.

"You're a male, what gets your attention?" She asked curiously after a moment.

Ferus blushed darkly and quickly stared down at his hands. "Um, w-well…" He cleared his throat and determinedly started again. "Well, I guess…the first thing a man notices is appearance. If the woman meets his personal taste, then he moves on to her personality…"

"Oh," she sighed, "so I wasn't pretty enough for him."

"No," he hurriedly assured her. "It-it's just that…you just don't have the look that would catch his eye and force him to take a closer look." He paused thoughtfully. "And if he can't get past that first step, I don't think it would've worked out anyway."

"You're right," she admitted, briefly wishing that he wasn't. "It was stupid of me to try, I guess." She smiled bitterly. "But it was a nice dream."

"I wouldn't say that it was stupid of you to try," Ferus muttered uneasily.

"What would you say then?" Darra wondered.

"Um," he squirmed a bit in his seat, "can we talk about something else?"

"Fine," Darra agreed, letting him off the hook…for the moment anyway.

"So, what else is on your mind?" Ferus asked.

She very briefly considered bringing up how distracting she had come to find his presence, but quickly trashed the idea. "Do you think we'll live to see the restoration of the Jedi Order?" It was a random question, but one that she had pondered occasionally.

He blinked, startled. "Um, I don't know." He shrugged and nervously scratched at the back of his neck. "With the Force so clouded and Dark, it's really impossible to See much of anything."

"I wasn't asking about any visions or premonitions," she sighed, "I just want your opinion, your best guess."

"Oh, well…" He trailed off thoughtfully. "I'd like to think that we will. I don't want to hide for the rest of my life, waiting."

"Me neither," she frowned, "I'd feel like such a waste."

"A waste?" He tilted his head questioningly.

"Instead of doing what I was trained to do," she grumbled, "I'm sneaking around buying supplies and hiding."

"What we're doing _is_ important," he reminded her.

"I know," she sighed, abandoning her chair for the mattress at the back of the cockpit. "It's just…frustrating."

"Yeah," he agreed, spinning the pilot's chair around to face her. "But unfortunately we don't have much choice right now."

"Right," Darra muttered, sitting cross-legged on the mattress.

"It'll get better," Ferus declared, though he really didn't sound all that convincing. "It will."

Darra snorted and closed her eyes. "I'm going to meditate," she decided abruptly. She rested her back against the cockpit bulkhead and then let her head fall back against it. Taking a few controlled breaths, she opened herself to the Force to let the day's tension drain out of her.

Of course by doing this, Ferus' presence was made all the clearer to her. It was bright and tightly ordered and comforting in its familiarity. Without really thinking about what she was doing, she reached for him, intending to use him as an anchor as she had done countless times during their Padawan years together.

He seemed briefly surprised, but he did his best to assist her in her exercise. Ferus drew her in and helped her form the temporary anchor that would help her find her way back from the deep meditation that she'd spontaneously decided to undertake. She was briefly disconcerted by the unshielded affection she found directed at her, but he sent her a wordless reassurance and reminder to focus, and she recovered. And then she broke away, spiraling outward in the currents of the Force…

* * *

Ferus tried to find a comfortable position in his seat seeing as he was going to be there for a while. It had been a long time since Darra had felt comfortable enough to do something as mentally intimate as this so he wasn't about to refuse her help. Still, her mental touch left him conflicted, torn between innocent friendship and affection, and longing for something…not innocent. 

_Focus,_ he chided himself sternly.

If he didn't keep a certain level of focus, Darra would lose her anchor, and that would make her meditation doubly risky. He wasn't about to let that happen. He was a Jedi, a professional, and her friend. Daydreams and inappropriate fantasies were not going to distract him from what he was doing.

Letting his eyelids droop, he stared out at the hypnotizing, chaotic patterns of hyperspace through the cockpit viewscreen. Meditation was a popular way for Jedi to pass the time since, during the mental exercise, time didn't mean quite as much. He enjoyed the peaceful state, so much so in fact, that Master Siri would tease him that she'd chosen a younger version of her old friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi, for a Padawan. Ferus had never really minded that teasing since Master Kenobi was the first Jedi in centuries to destroy a Sith, surpassing his own Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, in skill to do it.

Sometime later, a Dark ripple drew his attention. Closing his eyes, he sharpened his focus in wary investigation. What he found made his blood run icy cold.

Wherever Darra had drifted during her deep meditation, it hadn't been a good place. She was trying to flee it now, but sharp, clingy tendrils of Darkness curled around her, stabbing, grabbing. Someone steeped in the Dark Side was attacking her and now Sanctuary's location and Darra's life were at risk.

Reaching out to her, he tore relentlessly at her attacker while tightening his grip on her anchor point. The mysterious foe probably wasn't expecting her to have any help available and, after some tense struggle, abruptly withdrew. Surprised, Ferus 'reeled' her in too fast and she 'crashed' into him.

Dazed and disoriented, he opened his eyes and found himself staring into blue eyes mere inches away from his own. Affection, desire, and confusion churned in time with the throbbing of his head and he wondered when he'd left the pilot's chair to sit on the mattress with Darra. Distantly he realized that the mental impact had temporarily obliterated his shields so he was projecting everything he felt. And so was she.

He was in her head. She was in his head. Neither could quite tell where either began or ended. There was only them.

Ferus closed the tiny gap between their faces and kissed her. Darra flinched away, but before he could feel any despair, she shyly returned the gesture. Encouraged by this, and the rising tide of mutual emotion, he continued. And she never asked him to stop…

* * *

Darra yawned and sighed. The uncomfortable nervousness that had plagued her was gone. And she was happy. 

She rolled over onto her stomach and rested her cheek against Ferus' chest. He looked so cute when he was sleeping. That was one of the only times when he wasn't worrying about something.

But she could easily forgive him for being a worrywart. There was a good chunk of the time where all his worrying turned out to be justified. And whether he was right or wrong about something, he would always look after her.

Without him, she'd probably be dead or in the clutches of the Sith right now. The Darkness that she'd unintentionally brushed up against during her meditation almost had her. Without Ferus' timely intervention, she would've been lost forever and Sanctuary would've been violated. But everything was alright now, everything was safe.

Ferus cracked an eye open and sleepily regarded her. "Hi," he mumbled drowsily.

"'Hi' is all that you have to say after hours of—oh, what's the expression?—making out?" Darra smirked and traced a spiraling pattern with her finger on his rumpled shirt.

"Yeah," he shrugged, blinking sleep from his eyes.

Darra squinted in suspicion. "Are you _sure_ that's all that you have to say?"

He gave her a thoughtful look before replying. "I love you."

She blushed and bit her lip. "That's better," she grinned slightly and scooted up to kiss him on the forehead. "Ferus?"

"Yeah?" He smiled lazily up at her.

"Why did you start dying your hair?" She frowned and poked at his dyed lock of hair.

Ferus looked rather thrown by the question. He'd been dying his hair for months and she'd never gotten around to asking him about it before. But back then they hadn't been exactly speaking much, so she'd never voiced that particular nagging question. Now she did, and she really wanted to know why he'd decided to dye his blonde streak of hair to match the rest of his brown hair.

"It made me stand out too much," he answered. "And I never liked my hair anyway."

"But _I_ like your hair," Darra pouted. "I wish I had two-color hair like you sometimes."

"Well then you can have it," Ferus snorted.

"Please stop dying it," she pleaded, running a hand through his hair, "pretty please."

"Hmm," he sighed, "fine."

"Thank you," she smiled and hugged him.

"You're welcome," he grumbled, as if doing this was something difficult and unpleasant. She knew better, though. "So what time is?"

"I don't know," she mumbled, snuggling into him, "didn't look."

"Why not?" He wondered.

"The chronometer's too far away," she sighed, "I'd have to get up."

"Fair enough," he chuckled.

Darra grinned into his shoulder. But her grin faded as a thought intruded.

Ferus had always been a diligent follower of the Code. That was one of the main reasons that discovering his feelings for her had been so shocking. And that made his most recent behavior beyond belief. But they were parsecs away from any other Jedi, deep in the jagged folds of hyperspace, so perhaps he felt safe giving into temptation here. How would he behave when they returned to the presence of their brother and sister Jedi? How would he react to his own breech of the Code?

"What are you thinking about?" Ferus asked.

"Nothing," she shrugged.

Ferus wasn't convinced. "Tell me."

"It's nothing," she repeated, "just…worrying."

"You? Worrying?" He blinked. "That's my job."

"Oh? And what's _my_ job?" She asked.

"You're job is to be the happy, adventurous one who tries to keep the worrywart, me, from doing nothing but worrying." He explained.

"Ah, I see," Darra smirked. "So my job is to keep you from doing your job."

"Yes," he nodded, "exactly." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Don't worry about what might happen when we get back to Sanctuary, we'll figure something out. You know that I don't start something unless I mean to see it through to the end."

"I know," Darra smiled, relieved.

They'd figure something out. They'd find some balance point that they could live with. And they'd do it together.

That made all the difference in the galaxy. That gave her hope. And she was no longer afraid to feel, to love.

They were hunted and exiled. But they were free and alive. There _was_ a future waiting for them. All that they had to do was find it, and let _it_ find _them_.

* * *

**Note: **Hooray, next chapter Anakin! 

...The bad news: tons of homework, so the long-awaited update could take a long, long time to arrive.

But do not despair. There are a few new links (including a crappy sketch of some of the Jedi kids) in my profile page to check out! So enjoy!


	20. 19: Master and Apprentice

**Chapter 19**  
_Master and Apprentice_

_The air was warm and thick, perfumed with the fragrance of alien flowers. The sounds were faint, muffled by the humidity and an odd sense of great distance. It was dark at first, but as the light grew stronger, the quality of the light was like the quality of the sound, hazy and soft with distance._

_He was in a building that he didn't recognize. The details of his surroundings were unclear, misty and soft. It appeared to be the inside of a house. But he wasn't sure._

_Intrigued, he began to explore. The house itself was silent, the faint noise drifted in from the outside, glimpses of which he caught from the windows he passed. Vague blurs of green jungle and cloudy blue sky. For a long time he didn't see anyone, the house seemed uninhabited._

_But then he found the angel._

_She was sitting on a sofa in what could've been a common room. Her dark hair hung loose, spilling over her shoulders and down her back in curly waves. She was dressed in a simple dull red dress that, despite its plainness, looked like an elegant ballroom gown when she wore it. Her pale face was locked in a subtle expression of sadness and loneliness and her hand absently caressed a familiar wooden pendant that hung around her neck._

_Then her deep brown eyes drifted over to where he was standing. They widened in unguarded surprise. And then her face lit up with a radiant smile._

_The angel stood up and approached him, gliding gracefully over the carpet. She wrapped her arms around him in a loving embrace while he stood frozen in stunned shock. Then she stroked his cheek and tilted her head up to whisper into his ear, the first clear sound he'd heard the entire time._

"_Ani…"_

* * *

Anakin cracked one eye open, stared at a grimy, gray, durasteel bulkhead for a minute, and then closed the eye again. He was really starting to hate that dream. The first few times he'd dreamed it, it had been a bittersweet experience. But after nearly a month of dreaming it night after night, it was a just plain bitter experience. She was dead so his dream would never, ever come to pass.

A shift in the background vibrations of the ship's systems alerted him to the fact that they had just dropped out of hyperspace. Grumbling softly to himself, he rolled out of his bunk and stretched. He didn't _have_ to get up yet, but he might as well since they'd be landing in about an hour. And after nearly two months of sticking with this ship, the longest stretch so far, he was seriously considering jumping ship at this stop.

"Are we there yet?" A sleepy voice asked from behind and slightly above him.

Anakin turned to see Zett peering down drowsily at him from one of the upper bunks. "No, not yet," he yawned. "You can go back to sleep if you want."

"Okay," Zett mumbled, rolled over, and went back to sleep.

Anakin snorted softly and left the crowded crew sleeping cabin in search of some caf in the galley. He was awake now and there was no way he was getting back to sleep, so he might as well start the day. And the first thing he did in the morning (aside from rolling out of bed and stretching) was drink caf, hence his current trek to the galley.

While this ship, the _Lonesome Rose_, was beat up and aging, it was still a good ship. It was one of the best that he'd served on in a long time. He's spent almost three months here with Zett, restoring all the systems. But now everything was fixed, all the way down to the automatic caf machine, and that meant it was time to jump ship.

_Now the question is,_ he mused as he filled a cracked ceramic mug with steaming black caf, _what next?_

It was a question he'd been pondering for a while. The transient lifestyle he'd adopted wasn't easy nor was it secure, but it was safer than putting down roots and staying in one place. However, what was good for him wasn't quite as good for Zett. The boy never complained though Anakin knew that the rootless existence was wearing on him.

Zett was getting cheated out here, living this way. Anakin did his best to educate the boy, but 'book-learning' had never been his strong suit. He was better at 'street-smarts' but while that would keep Zett alive, it wouldn't get him ahead, at least not legally.

In addition to his general education, there was his Force training to be concerned with. It was impossible to do more than meditation and light levitation practice on board a ship and that was complicated by the fact that no one else on board could know about what they were doing. And there was just no way to do any saber training in the cramped confines of a ship without getting caught.

The only solution to both problems was taking a risk and finding some place to settle down. It couldn't be anywhere in Imperial space. That was just asking for trouble and he didn't want Zett to 'learn' in an Imperial-controlled school. But it had to be somewhere civilized enough for him to get steady work in repairing machines. So what systems did that leave?

_Not many,_ he thought sourly and sipped at his bitter caf.

"You're up early," a voice commented.

Anakin slowly turned to see the ship's pilot watching him from the doorway. He was a scruffy dark-haired Corellian, starting to gray slightly at the temples, and he had a startling deep horizontal scar on his left cheek that began near his nose and almost made it over to his ear. The other man's dark eyes studied him dully, flickering every now and then in remembered pain.

"Not by choice, Solo." Anakin mumbled, taking another sip of his drink.

"Oh?" The Corellian prodded.

Anakin raised an eyebrow in surprise. The pilot really wasn't much for conversation. "Dreams," he shrugged vaguely.

"Good or bad?" Solo asked.

"Complicated," Anakin replied after a moment. _I think that covers good and bad at the same time._

"Ah," Solo nodded and drifted into the galley to rifle through the cabinets. "How's your kid doing?"

"Zett?" Anakin blinked. "He's fine."

"How'd you get him?" Solo frowned. "He looks too old to be yours."

"He's an orphan I ran into a while back," Anakin sighed. "He needed me, and I needed the company."

"Lucky man," Solo mumbled, digging out a ration bar. "What I wouldn't give to have my boy with me now…"

"Hm?" Anakin hummed thoughtfully to himself. From the way that Solo said it, he got the impression that the reason that his son wasn't with him wasn't because the kid was in school on a planet somewhere.

"I used to have my own ship once," Solo said suddenly. "She was a good ship and work was good too. But then I got married, so I sold her, settled down on Corellia, in Coronet. We were happy, we had a little boy, work wasn't the best planetside but it supported the family. And then…then the Empire started up and there was all the riots. I tried to get back home from work, but by the time I got there, she was dead, the house was on fire, and I couldn't find my boy anywhere…" His voice was so soft now that Anakin had to strain to hear him speak. "I looked for little Han, for any relative I had for weeks, but I never found anyone. So I left and went back to what I do best, piloting."

"Damn," Anakin breathed. _And I thought that **I** had it bad. He actually was married, saw her dead…knew his kid…_

"Yeah, damn the Empire," Solo growled bitterly. "All the propaganda says it's better, but all it does is take from you…"

"Right," Anakin agreed, feeling rather bitter at that moment.

"What did it take from you?" Solo wondered.

Anakin tossed down a gulp of caf. "Pretty much everything but my life," he snorted in disgust. "The place where I lived for years was torched and turned into a charnel house. My friends are either dead or lost somewhere out in the void where I can't find them. My…my girlfriend" – _I guess I can call her that_ – "is gone. We-we were going to have a kid…" His voice cracked and he had to stop talking then or risk losing it.

Solo reached over and gave his shoulder a gruff but comforting squeeze. "I'm sorry for asking you 'bout that."

"No, it's fine," Anakin gulped and put his full focus on his drink.

The Corellian didn't believe that for a second, but he let it slide. "We'll be landing in a bit. See you planetside." Solo gave him a final nod and departed.

Anakin just stared down into the black murky depths of his caf cup. Even now, two years later, it still hurt to think of her and what they never had together. But wallowing in the agony of the past and the never-was, was just as useful as staring into his drink seeking the answers to all of life's mysteries.

"_Keep your focus on the present where it belongs."_ That was what Obi-Wan had told him. And that was what Qui-Gon had told Obi-Wan before he had been born. Anakin intended to follow that advice once more.

* * *

Zett eventually woke to the shuddering of the ship around him as the _Lonesome Rose_ hit the upper atmosphere. Groaning, he rolled off the upper bunk and somehow managed to land on his feet. All around him the rest of the permanent crew of the freighter was stirring, still sluggish after a late night sabacc tournament.

Rubbing at his sleep-sticky eyes, Zett stumbled towards the nearest refresher, eager to be the first one in. A sonic shower wasn't much of a shower, but it was better than nothing. It would help wake him up more at the very least.

To his satisfaction, he was the first one in, something that almost never happened. He celebrated by lingering longer than necessary in the shower, letting the pulsing waves of ultrasonic sound wash over his skin. While he preferred water showers, the tingling sensation made by the ultrasonic waves was almost as good.

When he decided that he was done, he hopped back into his clothes and did a quick check of himself in the small grimy mirror. His hair was longer now; Master Anakin didn't require him to stick with the distinctive Padawan Learner haircut. In fact, Master Anakin had encouraged him to let it grow out as long as he wanted. The only thing that remained was the braid, and he kept that short, so short it was almost hidden by his hair now.

Nodding to his blurry reflection, he left the refresher, and dodged a bunch of shoves and grumbles from irritated crewmembers who'd been waiting in line. Zett slipped past them all and scampered towards the galley for some breakfast. He found Master Anakin already there and waiting for him.

"Good morning," Master Anakin grinned, "feeling more awake now?"

"Yes, Master," Zett nodded, keeping his senses attuned for anyone who might interrupt.

Master Anakin sighed, perpetually annoyed at Zett's insistence on sticking to as many of the old Jedi traditions as possible. "Right, eat your breakfast so you can gather your things."

"We're leaving?" Zett asked, although he was pretty sure of the answer.

"Yes, the _Lonesome Rose_ is as good as new, there's no reason to stay." Master Anakin set aside his empty caf mug and began to dig through the cabinets.

Zett nodded silently and started to pull together a quick breakfast. He pushed aside the rising feelings of sadness without thought. This was a lesson warning against attachment, he knew. They'd stayed here too long and he'd grown used to it, attached to it, and he shouldn't. Now they would be leaving it, never to return.

Despite his strong control, his breakfast didn't taste all that good, not that it was all that great to start with. He ate it anyway, and ate it all, because food could be hard to come by and he needed the energy. And if he didn't eat, Master Anakin would worry, and he didn't want his Master to worry about him when there were worse things to be concerned with.

Finishing as quickly as he could, he left the galley to gather his things. The sooner he got his things, the sooner they would leave. And hopefully it wouldn't hurt as much if he left quickly.

* * *

Roughly twenty minutes after he watched Zett bolt down his breakfast, Anakin had spoken with the captain and obtained his full pay for the job. Then he'd gathered up his own pack and waited by the boarding ramp for his apprentice to appear. And he was still waiting.

Zett was certainly taking his time saying goodbye to everyone. But Anakin could understand that. The boy had made friends with everyone on board the ship, even the maintenance droids. It would take a while, even if he rushed, to say all his farewells.

A good ten minutes of waiting at the top of the ramp rewarded him with the appearance of his Padawan. The twelve-year-old was dispirited and trying to hide that fact in vain. Even if he didn't have any Jedi abilities, Anakin could see it written all over Zett's young face and in the slump of his small shoulders.

"All set?" Anakin asked, hefting his pack over his shoulder.

"Yes, Master," Zett nodded, clutching the handle of his bag with white knuckles.

"Let's go then," Anakin patted Zett's shoulder and started down the ramp.

"Yes, Master," Zett repeated and followed.

Anakin swallowed a sigh and stepped off the ramp and onto the duracrete landing pad. High above the local sun blazed in its fixed position in the sky. He had the sinking feeling that he was going to get annoyed with that sun very quickly.

"Where are we, Master?" Zett asked as they approached the central spaceport building.

"Roon," Anakin answered and then paused to glance over his shoulder. An empty landing pad drew his gaze and the oddest feeling hit him. There was nothing there now, but sometime recently there had been a ship there, and for some reason that was important.

"Master?" Zett piped up worriedly. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Anakin shook his head and started walking again, "nothing's wrong. I just thought that I sensed something."

"Oh," Zett mumbled. "What did you think it was that you sensed, Master?"

"I'm not sure," Anakin shrugged. "Whatever it was, it was too faint for me to tell much. I think it was just a lingering trace of someone who landed there."

"Oh. What's Roon like, Master?" Zett asked just before they reached the spaceport doors.

"It's tide-locked," Anakin began. "This side is always day and the other side is always night. Because Roon is so close to its dim sun, the rotational spin that causes day to become night is cancelled out by the star's gravity. Nothing lives on the night side because it's always dark and cold, so anything that lives on Roon lives on the day side."

"So…it's always going to be daytime here?" Zett wondered.

"Yes, the sun will stay just where it is in the sky the entire time that we stay here," Anakin sighed. _And in a few hours it's going to start annoying me…_

"So will we be searching for a new ship immediately, Master?" Zett inquired politely.

"No, we'll look around here for a while." Anakin decided. "I think I've cooped you up on a ship for too long. Let's enjoy the fresh air while we can."

"Yes, Master," Zett quietly agreed.

Anakin forced back a sigh and headed for an information kiosk so he could find them a cheap hotel. Zett would agree with just about everything he said because he was the teacher and Zett was the student. While in certain situations it was good that the kid didn't question his authority, most of the time it wasn't. He wanted the boy to think for himself, not mindlessly follow orders like a clone.

_How do you teach an obedient child how to not be so obedient all the time…?_

* * *

Zett looked around curiously as he followed Master Anakin into town. Of all the places that they had been together, this was one of the nicest. It looked like a prosperous trade town. All the buildings were painted in vibrant pastels and the streets were neat and clean. If only the sun moved, he might come to like it here.

The people here looked equally nice. Most of the population was Human, but there were clusters of various alien species hanging around too. They looked well-off, well-dressed, and friendly, though they cast suspicious looks at him and his Master. Spacers must not be very popular here.

After a good stretch of walking, his Master brought him to where they would be staying. It was a dull yellow building, four stories high, with a sign that read "Kaaji's Inn" hanging over the door. It wasn't as nice as many of the other buildings around, but Master Anakin always wanted their money to last as long as possible, so they stayed in cheap places when not aboard a ship.

The interior of the inn was the same as the exterior. It was beginning to crumble, but it was still serviceable, even comfortable. The innkeeper at the desk, a chubby Rodian, began to greet them warmly, but paused when he noticed how they were dressed. However, the good host that he was, he waited to hear what they wanted before deciding if he wanted to risk giving them a room.

"_Greetings,"_ Master Anakin gave a slight bow and slipped into his flawless Huttese. "_I wish to rent a room for myself and the boy for a few standard days. Is there any space available for us?"_

"_Perhaps,"_ the Rodian buzzed. "_Let me check my records."_ The green alien made a show of checking some paper records behind his desk. "_What is your business here on Roon?"_

"_We are here in search of new direction,"_ Master Anakin replied vaguely. "_We will not be here long."_

"_Hm, ah yes, we have a room with two beds, nice and cheap."_ The Rodian twitched his antennae cheerfully.

"_We'll take them,"_ Master Anakin decided, setting a small down payment on the countertop.

"_Very good, sir."_ The Rodian happily took the money and passed Master Anakin a key with the room number inscribed on it.

"_Thank you,"_ Master Anakin bowed and slipped the key into his pocket. "Come on Zett," he beckoned and headed up the stairs.

Zett hurried after his Master, internally wincing at the groaning of the wooden steps beneath his boots. Master Anakin led him up three flights and then down a hall to doorway "311." He removed the key from his pocket and unlocked the door, revealing their temporary home.

It was dim and musty and small, but better than a good half of the places they'd stayed before. It contained two tiny beds, a lamp, a closet, and nothing else. There was no private refresher; there was only a public one that everyone in the same hall had to use. It was almost like being back on the _Lonesome Rose_ except it was brighter and cleaner.

"Well, what do you think?" Master Anakin asked, striding inside.

"It's nice, Master," Zett remarked, taking the bed closer to the window.

"Yeah," Master Anakin agreed, taking the other bed. "So tell me," he sat down on his bed, "where you sad to leave the _Lonesome Rose_ behind?"

Zett was startled by the question and took a moment to gather himself before he answered. "A little," he answered honestly, and hoped not to get a lecture.

His first Master, Master Unill, always found ways to inject clear lessons and lectures into what they were doing. Master Anakin didn't really lecture much and Zett found it difficult to predict when the rare lecture would crop up. In regards to lessons, Master Anakin liked to have him review events and then try and guess what the lesson was in it. This different teaching style was proving difficult to adjust to, and it was made worse by the fact that Master Anakin hadn't formed a training bond with him (Master Anakin claimed that he didn't know how) so he didn't have an easy way of gauging how his Master felt or what he might be thinking.

"I thought so," Master Anakin nodded and laid back on the bed. "Hopefully we won't be doing much more of that."

"Much more of what, Master?" Zett frowned in puzzlement, making himself comfortable on his bed.

"Drifting on the stellar winds like we are," Master Anakin replied. "I've been thinking of finding us a place where we can stay for years instead of weeks."

"But, Master Anakin, I thought that we were "drifting" because it wasn't safe to stay anywhere." Zett blinked, confused.

"Yes, but that all depends on where we stay," Master Anakin corrected him. "If we settle on a world outside of the Empire's sphere of influence and keep a low profile we should be fine. It's only a matter of finding the appropriate place."

"Oh," Zett gulped and stared down at his folded hands.

"Zett, what's bothering you?" Master Anakin asked after a few minutes.

It was surprising sometimes how well his Master could read him without a training bond. "I—I was just worried about…getting attached to things," Zett mumbled anxiously, not looking up.

"Oh, I see," Master Anakin sighed. "You're worried that you got too attached to living on the _Lonesome Rose_ and living with the crew, you think that you shouldn't be as upset as you at leaving them, aren't you?"

The question was clearly rhetorical, Zett could tell by the way Master Anakin said it, but he answered anyway. "Yes."

"The no-attachment rule strikes again," Master Anakin muttered, probably to himself. "Zett, I wouldn't worry about that rule so much, it gets broken all the time."

"What?" Zett squeaked.

"It's true," Master Anakin shrugged. "If the Jedi Order strictly followed that tenet of the Code, then the Jedi wouldn't care about anything or anyone. They would have no friends inside or outside the Order. Masters and Padawans wouldn't care from one another or learn properly from each other. The Order would've collapsed centuries ago."

"Oh," Zett whispered. What Master Anakin said made sense. But… "Why haven't they changed that part of the Code, then?"

"The Jedi Order loves their traditions, loves their history, and they are very resistant to change." Master Anakin replied. "I don't think the Code has ever been changed since the day it was penned into existence."

"Why did they make the rule in the first place?" Zett wondered.

"There is some danger in attachment," Master Anakin admitted, "just like there's a dangerous side to everything. Too much confidence leads to arrogance, too much interest leads to obsession, and so on and so forth." Master Anakin rolled over on his bed to study Zett's expression. "The Force isn't the only thing to have a Dark Side, there is a "Dark Side" to every emotion, to every thing. The way I see it, it's all about balance and knowing yourself. Find your balance point, do your best to stay there, and you'll be fine."

Zett chewed his lower lip and tried to wrap his mind around what Master Anakin was trying to teach him. "So…attachments are okay?"

"It depends on the attachment," Master Anakin answered. "Healthy attachments can help ground you, help you stay balanced. But unhealthy attachments, bonds that run too deep, become all-consuming and lead to obsession and other unhealthy extremes. Such connections can blind you and cloud your judgment. Sometimes it can be very tricky to tell the difference," he admitted, "but that's part of my job. I'm here to teach, to guide, and to mentor."

"Oh," Zett blinked, his mind spinning a bit.

"I think that's enough on that subject for today," Master Anakin chuckled a bit. "Any other questions?"

"What do you dream about, Master?" The question just slipped out before he had time to think about it.

Master Anakin sat up and gave him a nervous look. "What?"

"You don't sleep well anymore, Master," Zett swallowed. "It looks like you have bad dreams…"

"They're not all that bad," Master Anakin shrugged uncomfortably, looking away. "But they're not all that great either." There was a long pause and Zett wondered if he should ask his question again, but then his Master began to speak again. "I swear, every time I close my eyes for more than a few minutes, I see her."

"Her?" Zett blinked.

"There was a woman that I loved," Master Anakin admitted, shocking Zett to no end. "She was kind and beautiful and one of the closest friends I ever had," he continued softly. "But not long after the massacre of the Jedi, she was killed. The news-faxes blamed the Jedi remnant, but I knew it was the Empire. She was a politician and she opposed Palpatine more and more throughout her career…" Master Anakin trailed off and Zett couldn't help but feel his pain.

"So what happens in your dreams?" Zett hesitantly asked.

"The same thing, over and over again," Master Anakin sighed. "A vision that will never be, because she's gone. I'm in a house on a planet that I've never visited before and I find her waiting in a common room. She's sad or worried about something, but then she sees me and smiles. She hugs me and says my name…and then I wake up."

"It's the same every time?" Zett tugged at his short braid thoughtfully.

"Yep," Master Anakin nodded.

"Maybe it means something?" Zett suggested.

"I can't imagine what it could mean," Master Anakin snorted.

Zett anxiously twirled his braid around his finger. Master Anakin was upset and it was his fault for asking some prickly questions. So how could he cheer his Master up? What could he do?

"Master, where will we go after Roon?" Zett inquired.

"I haven't picked any destination in particular yet," Master Anakin replied. "Do you have any suggestions?"

"Um, well, maybe…maybe we could go to Tatooine and visit your family?" Zett gulped nervously.

A slight smile slowly spread across Master Anakin's face. "That's a very good idea," he remarked. "A very good idea. It'd almost be like a vacation after all this traveling around." He laid back down on his bed and laced his fingers behind his head. "And who knows, maybe Mom will have some mail for me…"


	21. 20: Message from Beyond

**Chapter 20**  
_Message from Beyond_

Anakin sighed and stared up at the sky. It had taken about a week to work their way back to Tatooine, and when they'd finally landed in Mos Espa night had already fallen. It wasn't safe to travel outside of the cities at night here, the Sand People would cut down any travelers who dared. So he and Zett where spending the night in his old abandoned hovel in the Slave Quarter again.

The stars shone cold and clear in the black night sky as he stared at them from his back steps, and he smiled faintly as he recalled a night much like this one, but many years ago. He remembered when he'd looked up at the stars with Master Qui-Gon and decided that he wanted to see them all. When he grew up, he'd go out into space and go to every single star and see what was there. And Master Jinn had simply chuckled at him and his impossible wish.

He missed the long-haired Jedi Master. The bitterness he'd felt towards the man in his childhood, back when he thought the man had forgotten and abandoned him, was long healed and gone. And, not for the first time, he wondered how his life might've turned out if Qui-Gon had been able to keep him promise and return for a visit…

"Hey Ani, that you?"

Glancing down from the sky, Anakin spied a familiar figure looking up at him from the bottom of the steps. "Hey Kitster, what are you doing out this late?"

"I was kept late," Kitster sighed and trudged up the steps, "so I decided to take a walk." He paused and rubbed his chilled hands together. "What are you doing back here?"

"I was going to go home for a visit," Anakin replied, "but the idiots that I caught a ride with landed here after dark."

"Ah," Kitster nodded and plopped down next to him on the steps. "So what have you been up to?"

"Not much, really." Anakin sighed. "Drifting here and there, selling my skills for passage on ships…"

"Sounds interesting, wish I could do that." Kitster responded wistfully.

"Well I've had enough of it," Anakin grumbled. "I'd give anything to have things back to the way they were."

"Which way was that?" Kitster asked slowly.

"Before the Republic fell," Anakin muttered, "back when there was a place where I that felt I belonged."

"You mean with the Jedi." Kitster frowned and his expression turned troubled. "Not too long after you left here the last time, a Jedi came looking for you."

"Really?" Anakin blinked, startled. "Who was it?"

"Said his name was Kenobi, showed me and Wald his lightsaber, and asked for you." Kitster replied.

Anakin scowled. "Damn, what lousy timing! I really wish that he'd caught me when I was still here…"

"He wasn't so bad," Kitster shrugged after a moment. "He bought us lunch."

"That was nice of him," Anakin sighed, wishing even more for his old Master's company.

"So, how have you been?" Kitster asked when it got too quiet for his liking.

"Well enough, I suppose," Anakin muttered and scuffed his boot heel along the gritty baked mud step.

Kitster picked at the cuff of his sleeve as he tried to come up with something else to say. "Last time…you said that you ran away from your last owner. Just how did you do that, exactly?"

"I waited until he left on business, I fried his security system, and then I cut out the slave implant with a vibro-knife before I ran out the back door." Anakin's right hand drifted down to his left side. Even though it was impossible, he swore that the damn scar still hurt sometimes when he thought about how he'd gotten it.

"_(You did **what**?)"_ Kitster choked in Huttese.

"_(I cut it out,)"_ Anakin smirked. "_(Do you want to see my scar?)"_

"_(No,)_ no, that's fine." Kitster muttered.

"Alright," Anakin shrugged. "So ever find yourself a girlfriend?"

"Nah," Kitster grumbled. "What about you?"

Anakin flinched. "It's complicated," he swallowed, "I don't want to talk about it."

Kitster gave him a puzzled look. "Um, okay."

"What about Wald?" Anakin asked. "Has he found any cute Rodian girls?"

"Yes, actually," Kitster chuckled. "Her name's Veeda. She was briefly Greedo's girlfriend, but she saw the light rather quickly and Wald slipped her right out from Greedo's snout."

"Hah!" Anakin laughed.

"It's too bad that you missed it." Kitster grinned. "Greedo was so mad…"

"Serves the jerk right," Anakin snorted. Greedo was a troublemaker and had repeatedly accused him of cheating in his pod races, so Anakin didn't have much sympathy for the Rodian.

"Yeah," Kitster nodded. His expression turned thoughtful after a moment. "How are you planning to get out to your mom's place from here?"

"I was planning on renting a landspeeder." Anakin replied. "Do you have any other suggestions?"

"Yep, you could hitch a ride with Melee," Kitster suggested.

"Melee?" Anakin frowned. "Seek's little female minion?"

"She doesn't run with him anymore," Kitster informed him. "She's been freed since you left and she works as a delivery girl now. If Melee's route takes her up by Anchorhead tomorrow she'll probably take you."

"Really?" Anakin mused, rubbing thoughtfully at his stubbly chin. "Hmm, I think I'll look into that."

"Good," Kitster grinned a rather strange grin and Anakin found himself unnerved.

_Why do I suddenly have a really bad feeling about this…?_

"Well, it's getting late and I need to get up early," Kitster sighed and stood up. "Come back and see me and Wald before you go again, okay?"

"Sure thing Kitster," Anakin smiled, "have a good night."

"See you later!" Kitster waved and walked off into the chilly Tatooine night.

"Bye," Anakin waved and settled back as his old friend vanished from sight.

He stayed out on the back steps for a while longer before he finally went back into the old hovel to get some sleep. But as he tried to get comfortable and find sleep, something nagged about him. Something about Kitster's smile bothered him…

_He's hiding something from me, something that he thinks is funny, but…what?_

* * *

Bright and early the next morning, just before the second sun was set to rise, Anakin led Zett towards Melee's place. Despite being freed, she hadn't moved out of the Slave Quarter, or even her old housing unit. He didn't think she had any attachment to the place, she probably hadn't moved out because the housing was so cheap here and she knew the neighborhood very well.

When they reached the appropriate door, Anakin knocked on it and waited for an answer. Roughly one minute later, the door ground open and Melee almost ran him over in her haste to exit her apartment. It seemed that she hadn't heard his knock as she let out an involuntary squeak at seeing him in her doorway.

"Huh? Who're you and what do you want?" Melee snapped.

_Well, she's still a bitch._ He gave a mental sigh before reintroducing himself to her. "Hi, I'm Anakin Skywalker and—"

"_Ani?_" Melee gasped, her eyes almost popping out of her head in utter astonishment.

"Yes, that's me," Anakin nodded. _So she remembers me…_

"I can't believe it," Melee breathed. "Kitster and Wald said that they saw you a few years ago, but I thought they were pulling my leg."

"Well they weren't," Anakin replied. "Weren't you going somewhere?" He asked after she failed to move or say anything else.

"Oh, right, I-I was going to work." Melee muttered. "I'm sorry, can we talk later?"

"I was hoping for a little favor," Anakin replied as he moved aside so she could leave her hovel. "Kitster tells me that you do delivery runs now."

"Yes," she slipped out her door, "I do. Do you want me to bring your mom something?"

"Actually, I was hoping you might give us a ride out to the Lars homestead." Anakin responded.

"Us?" Melee frowned.

"Myself and my young friend here," Anakin patted Zett on the shoulder.

Melee gave Zett a strange stare. "I see," she said after a long pause. "Yes, I think I'm going out that way today. I can give you that ride."

"Thanks," Anakin gave her a lop-sided grin. "We appreciate the help."

Melee blushed a little and smiled shyly. "It's no problem, really. Come on, follow me."

Anakin felt his grin freeze on his face as he followed her. Now he knew what Kitster found so funny. And when he came back through Mos Espa, Kitster was going to get it.

_No, no, no! Not Melee too! It was bad enough when it was just Darra…_

* * *

Zett squinted his eyes against the dust and grit as he, Master Anakin, and this Melee woman zipped over the desert. It was nearing noon now and he hoped that they would stop soon. Noon on Tatooine was highly unpleasant and not something that he wanted to experience out in the middle of the Dune Sea.

He was also rather unsure of this woman who was giving them this ride. Master Anakin hadn't been all that excited about going to see her, and he'd appeared even less happy when they'd followed her to her job so they could catch a ride with her. And she kept giving Master Anakin really odd looks…

"And there we are!" Melee shouted over the roar of the engines and wind.

Leaning forward in his seat, Zett could just make out the whitish smudge on the horizon that was the Lars homestead. Now that it was in sight, it shouldn't take too much longer to get there. At least that's what he hoped.

Of course, since he wished to get there as soon as possible, it took forever to get there. For the longest time, the splotch of a house remained distant and unmoving. But, eventually, the dusty squat building did get closer, and Melee pulled over near the front door.

Melee was first to the front door and down the stairs into the sunken courtyard. Master Anakin followed her at a more sedate pace, eyeing her nervously as he carried their bags. Zett followed his Master wearily, vainly trying to brush the accumulated dust and sand out of his hair and off his clothes.

By the time Zett reached the courtyard, Melee was enthusiastically greeting Master Anakin's mother. Master Anakin hung back to watch the exchange between the two women in silence. Zett scuttled over to his Master's side and joined him in watching.

"Hello Melee, I didn't think that you would be coming by today," Mrs. Skywalker smiled.

"I wasn't plan on it, actually," Melee grinned, "but I was asked a favor that I just couldn't turn down."

"Oh?" Mrs. Skywalker raised a questioning eyebrow.

Melee's grin only widened and she nodded towards Master Anakin.

Mrs. Skywalker glanced over at Master Anakin and her jaw dropped. "Ani?"

"Hi mom," Master Anakin waved sheepishly.

"Ani!" She hurried over and embraced him. "Oh, I was starting to think that you wouldn't be coming back!"

"Aw mom," Master Anakin sighed, hugging her back. "Of course I was going to come back!"

"But you were away for so long…" Mrs. Skywalker backed off a bit. "Let me take a look at you."

"I don't look any different than I did before," Master Anakin grumbled, but let his mother examine him anyway.

"Yes, you do." His mother insisted, fussing a bit with his hair.

Master Anakin sighed and batted his mother's hands away from his head. "Mom, my hair's fine, leave it alone."

"Alright," Mrs. Skywalker let her hands fall to her sides. She gave him one last look-over and smiled. "It's good to see you again, Ani." She hugged him again. "Welcome home."

"It's good to see you too, mom." Master Anakin gave a half-grin.

Mrs. Skywalker released him and finally seemed to notice Zett standing in his shadow. "Oh my goodness, look at you!"

"What about me?" Zett blinked nervously.

"You look so different I can hardly recognize you," Mrs. Skywalker marveled. "I think you've grown at least three inches! And you're hair…"

"Um, thanks?" Zett replied hesitantly.

"You're welcome," she smiled. "Now why don't you all follow me inside and I'll get you something to drink?"

"Sounds good to me," Master Anakin smiled.

"Do snacks come with the drinks?" Melee asked.

"Of course, dear." Mrs. Skywalker replied as she headed inside.

"Excellent!" Melee cheered.

Master Anakin rolled his eyes at Melee when she wasn't looking and walked after her and his mother. Zett followed his Master, eager to get out of the blazing double sunlight. And drinks and snacks sounded really good after hours of tagging along with Melee on her delivery route.

Master Anakin's sister-in-law, Beru, was already in the kitchen when they came in. She was quite startled to see the surprise guests, but quickly recovered and hastily worked to make them comfortable. In short order, everyone had glasses of some sort of pinkish fruit juice and strips of Bantha jerky and all were sitting around the kitchen table.

"So, Anakin, where have you been?" Beru asked quietly.

"Oh, here and there…and everywhere," Master Anakin teased.

"Sounds exciting," Melee smiled an odd sort of smile that made Master Anakin look decidedly nervous.

"Not really…" Master Anakin replied slowly. "Hey mom, did I get any mail?"

"No…wait," Mrs. Skywalker paused thoughtfully. "Actually, I think that you did. Let me check." She got up and left.

"Mail? Who would you get mail from?" Melee asked.

"Outlander friends," Master Anakin answered vaguely.

"Like who?" Melee frowned.

"No one you'd know," Master Anakin shrugged.

"Ani," Melee pouted, "stop being so d—"

"You did get mail," Mrs. Skywalker reappeared and held out a small holo-disk to Master Anakin. "It came a few weeks after you left."

"I have terrible timing," Master Anakin sighed and took the disk. "Where's my Astromech? I want to check this out."

"It should be in the garage," Mrs. Skywalker replied after a moment's thought.

"Thanks, mom." Master Anakin grinned and left the table. "I'll be right back."

Melee pouted some more once Master Anakin had vanished from the kitchen. "Why won't he answer my questions?"

"Don't worry, dear," Mrs. Skywalker patted Melee's arm. "He's been rather secretive with everyone since he was bought and taken off-planet."

"But why?" Melee complained. "It's not like we're strangers or anything."

"Just give him a little time," Mrs. Skywalker suggested, "he'll open up when he gets comfortable."

"Why wouldn't he be comfortable?" Melee frowned. "This is his home."

"No it's not. Not anymore," Beru said softly. "He grew up far away from here."

"But he was born here," Melee argued. "It _is_ his home."

"He was never happy on Tatooine, dear," Mrs. Skywalker sighed. "Ani was made for the stars, for far distant places, not for here."

Melee looked rather distressed at hearing this. "But you're here, you're his family. Doesn't he want to be with you?"

"He does," Mrs. Skywalker nodded. "But only for visits. Perhaps if we lived on some other planet, he'd be more inclined to stay. But Tatooine just makes him restless and drives him away. When we're gone, I doubt that he'll ever come back."

"Oh," Melee sighed miserably.

"Don't worry, I think we'll be around for a while, so he'll still come back for visits." Mrs. Skywalker assured her with a warm smile. "Now tell me, how is the delivery business going?"

As the three women launched into a completely different conversation, Zett kept his mouth shut and did his best to blend into the tan wall behind him. He felt quite small, trapped in a room with three adult women without his Master present. And while he waited for his Master to return, he wondered just what sort of message Master Anakin had received.

_Whatever it is, it must be long or important…or both,_ Zett mused. _He's still away listening to it…_

* * *

Anakin took the disk into the garage and looked around for Petey. The squat, little, green Astromech wasn't immediately visible in the gloomy clutter, so he had to do a little searching. After poking around his stored Eta-2 starfighter, the two family landspeeders, and a few crates of replacement 'vaporator parts, he finally located his mechanical pal plugged into a corner outlet and dozing.

"Hey, Petey!" He thumped the droid on its sensor dome. "Wake up!"

R4-P44's lights blinked on and the droid chattered in surprise.

"Hi there, how are you?" He asked.

Petey let out a long string of electronic chirps and whistles that Anakin took to mean "pretty good."

"Great," Anakin smiled. "Could you do me a favor and play this for me?" He asked, holding out the disk.

The green-trimmed Astromech warbled an affirmative and took the disk with one of its more delicate arms. It fed the small disk into a slot just beneath the sensor dome. For a few minutes it processed the information, and then its little holo-projector winked on and an image of a person began to form.

Anakin's legs suddenly didn't want to work. He slumped to the sandy garage floor and stared open-mouthed at the image that had taken shape. The person was small, only a few inches high, but the quality was high, it was even in color. And it was Padmé.

She wore a simple, dull blue dress; the Japor necklace that he'd given her; and a stern, Senatorial expression on her face. And, oddly, she didn't look pregnant, which was impossible. When she had died, she hadn't given birth, so if this recording was made recently—

"_Anakin, hopefully this message reaches you quickly,"_ she began. "_By now I'm sure that you've heard the reports of my death at the hands of traitorous Jedi. That is a lie, of course. Bail Organa of Alderaan was kind enough to assist me in staging my death, and I'm sure you can guess why."_ She paused and bit her lip. "_Encoded on this disk are coordinates that will lead you to me. Please come as soon as you can. I need your help…"_

Padmé's holographic image froze and then dissolved.

Anakin stared at the spot where her image had been for a long time. His mind raced along a million twisting paths that led to nowhere. He tried to speak, but no words came for many lengthy minutes. Finally, though, he found his voice.

"Petey…replay."


	22. 21: Grandmother?

**Chapter 21**  
_Grandmother?_

Zett nibbled on his last strip of Bantha jerky and wilted with boredom. Mrs. Skywalker, Beru, and Melee were still chatting away, though what the subject was now, Zett had no idea. All he cared about right now was what was taking his Master so long to come back from the garage.

_What's going on?_ Zett wondered as he chewed on the dried meat. _He's been gone for over an hour,_ he noted, glancing up at the chronometer yet again. _What sort of message did Master Anakin get?_

"I was just talking to Huff Darklighter the other day," Beru was saying, "and it looks like little Biggs is going to be getting a sibling soon."

"Oh wow," Melee sighed. "I'm jealous now. Everyone I know is settling down and having babies and I don't even have a boyfriend yet."

"Don't worry, dear." Mrs. Skywalker smiled comfortingly. "You'll find someone soon, I'm sure of it."

_Can't they talk about something else?_ Zett grumbled to himself.

"I don't know," Melee shrugged despondently. "It just seems like—Anakin is-is something wrong?"

Zett started a bit and saw that Master Anakin was leaning in the kitchen doorway…and he didn't look so good. He was rather pale and his eyes were fixed on some invisible point on the floor, off to the side of the kitchen table. It was like he'd received some terrible news, like a death in the family, or if he'd just seen a ghost.

"Ani?" Mrs. Skywalker frowned when he didn't immediately respond. "Sweetheart, what's the matter?"

"I…I don't…" Master Anakin ran his hand through his hair. "I think…I think I'm just…going to lay down for a while…"

"Ani…" Mrs. Skywalker left the table and caught Master Anakin by the arms. "Sweetie, tell me what's wrong."

"I…I just need some time to think, mom." Master Anakin mumbled, not meeting her eye.

"Anakin Skywalker," his mother said quietly, but firmly, "tell me."

"I-I just got a message from someone that I didn't expect to hear from…ever again." Master Anakin swallowed.

Zett's mind immediately started to race over possibilities. Perhaps the message came from some old enemy (maybe even the Emperor himself!) or some friend old friend that he hadn't parted on the best of terms with. That could explain why he was so upset now.

"And who would that be?" His mother pressed.

Master Anakin kept his eyes fixed on the floor and didn't answer.

Mrs. Skywalker put her hand under his chin and forced him to look at her. "Anakin…answer the question."

"It was from Padmé," he said so quietly that Zett almost didn't hear it.

"Padmé?" Mrs. Skywalker frowned thoughtfully. "Wasn't she that girl from Naboo years ago? The one that you raced in the Boonta Eve Classic for?"

"Yeah…her," he whispered hoarsely.

"Whatever happened to her?" Mrs. Skywalker wondered. "Did she make it to Coruscant like she needed to?"

Master Anakin nodded silently, casting his eyes down to the floor again.

"Well that's good to hear," Mrs. Skywalker smiled. "But why are you so upset, Ani? What did she have to say to you?"

"It…it wasn't what she said, it was that she said anything at all," Master Anakin mumbled. "Last I knew of her, I was reading reports of her death in a News-fax."

"Oh…oh, I'm sorry Ani." Mrs. Skywalker gave him a half-hug. "I know how much you admired her."

_Admired her?_ Zett twirled his braid around his finger as he thought. _Master Anakin said that there was a woman that he loved, but she's dead now…_

"But…she's not dead, that's the thing," Master Anakin muttered. "That recording was made after she supposedly died, I checked the date stamp in it. And…and she said that she'd faked her death. So…"

_She's **not** dead?_ Zett blinked in surprise. _What?_

"Well, that's wonderful, Ani." His mother smiled. "Why do you look so upset?"

"It-it's complicated." Master Anakin shrugged. "I don't want to talk about it right now."

Mrs. Skywalker studied his face for a moment. "Alright, we'll talk more later."

"Thanks, mom." Master Anakin slipped free of her grasp and wandered away.

Mrs. Skywalker returned to the kitchen table and sipped at her drink with a contemplative expression on her face. Beru nervously fiddled with the cuff of her sleeve and stared down at the tabletop. Melee just looked upset.

"Why is he getting all tied into knots over some Outlander girl?" Melee demanded sullenly.

"Padmé made a strong impression on Ani back then, and he never forgot about her." Mrs. Skywalker replied. "She was one of the few people to see and treat him as a person."

"But she's so much older than him," Melee grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"She wasn't that much older, as I recall," Mrs. Skywalker corrected. "She was barely a teenager, but she acted very mature and so probably seemed older than she was."

"Still, she's an Outlander," Melee sniffed.

Zett slumped in his seat a bit. _So I guess this means that she hates my guts too._

"Now, Melee, you're not being fair," Mrs. Skywalker chided. "There's no need to be jealous of a woman that's probably on the other side of the galaxy."

"I'm not jealous," Melee lied. "Why would I be jealous? She wasn't much better than we were anyway; she was a Handmaiden, a servant."

_What?_ Zett frowned. _Master Anakin said that she was a politician._

"Well, jealous or not," Mrs. Skywalker replied, "I wouldn't advise insulting Padmé in front of him."

Melee made a face, but didn't reply.

"I hope he'll be alright," Beru sighed, glancing at the doorway where Master Anakin had been standing a few minutes before.

"I hope so too," Mrs. Skywalker agreed after a quiet moment.

Zett gulped and took the opportunity to slip out of the kitchen, unnoticed. He felt uncomfortable stuck in a room with three grown women talking about boys and babies. And he was worried about his Master.

Master Anakin hadn't looked well at all. And the things that his mother had dragged out of him only made it worse. The woman that he had loved and thought had died suddenly was alive. What did that mean for them? What did that mean for _him_?

* * *

Anakin lay on his bed, on his back, and stared up blankly at the ceiling. He really wasn't sure how to feel about all that he had learned in the past hour. So he decided to feel nothing.

She was alive. She _wasn't_ dead liked he'd thought for just over two years now. Padmé was alive.

That single piece of information was more than enough to turn the galaxy on its head. The black gloom that had hovered around the back of his mind ever since that fateful day when he'd picked up a news-fax and learned that she had 'died' suddenly was swept away. He should feel happy, or relieved, or both, but he was still too overwhelmed.

She also wasn't pregnant anymore according to the holo-image in the message. That indicated two distinct possibilities. One, she had given birth and he was now a father. Or two, she had miscarried due to the stresses brought on by the Purges and falsifying her death.

While both scenarios were equally possible, the first one was the one that ate away at his mind. He was a bastard child; his mother couldn't even give him a name or a vague description of the man who had fathered him. Taking care of Zett, a Jedi Padawan who was already about halfway through his childhood, was one thing, but a toddler…that was something else altogether.

And beyond that issue were the questions. Was it a boy or a girl? What was its name? What did it look like? What did it act like? Did it take more after Padmé? Or did it take more after him?

The scuffing sound of shoes on the bare sandy floor interrupted his ruminations. Anakin's eyes drifted closed for a moment as he pulled his frazzled thoughts together and identified who his visitor was. When he felt as together as he was going to get, he opened his eyes and sat up.

"Hey Zett, what do you need?" He tried to smile, but it didn't quite happen.

"Nothing," Zett settled into the chair next to the bed. "Are you alright, Master?"

"I-I'll be fine," Anakin swallowed. "Don't worry about me kiddo."

"Okay," Zett agreed dubiously. "This Padmé lady that left you that message, she's the woman that you said you loved, isn't she?"

_Smart kid._ "Yes," Anakin nodded, "she is."

Zett sat quietly for a few minutes before speaking again. "Could you tell me about her?"

"Well, what would you like to know?" Anakin sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Melee said that she was a servant when you first met her," Zett frowned. "But you said that she was a politician."

"She was a politician back then too, she was only pretending to be a servant." At Zett's confused expression, he settled down to explain it further. "It's a long story, but back then she was the elected Queen of Naboo. The Trade Federation had just invaded her home-world and Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, were trying to get her to Coruscant so she could plead Naboo's case before the Senate. But her ship was damaged and so they stopped here on Tatooine to find replacement parts. As a part of her security, she swapped places with one of her Handmaidens so that if they were caught, she would remain safely anonymous while the Handmaiden impersonating the Queen would take the brunt of whatever happened. And that is why Melee thinks her to be nothing more than a servant."

"Oh," Zett nodded. Then his face scrunched up in confusion. "Elected queen?"

"Yeah, Naboo's government is a little quirky," Anakin snorted. "The way I understand it, Naboo was originally governed by a monarchy, but over time it collapsed and was replaced by democracy. The people loved the pageantry and tradition of the monarchy just as much as they loved democracy, and so they combined the two. The planetary leader became a king or queen for their term in office, with all the pretty clothes and ceremony that came with it"

"That's weird," Zett blinked.

"I know," Anakin grinned weakly. "They're a quirky people, but very artistic and kind, and their planet is beautiful. I wish I could take you there so you could see it."

"Maybe someday we can go there," Zett suggested hopefully.

"Someday," Anakin agreed with a faint smile. "Someday we'll go there…" _And-and maybe Padmé will take us._

"So did she make it to Coruscant?" Zett asked curiously.

"Yes," Anakin nodded, "but the Senate did not respond the way she expected it to."

"What did she do then?" Zett frowned.

"She returned to Naboo to free her people herself," Anakin smiled. "Master Jinn and Padawan Kenobi accompanied her as she made contact with the Gungans, Naboo's native sentient species. The Naboo are a pacifistic culture and have no army, but the Gungans still possessed a ceremonial army, and Padmé hoped to enlist their help in driving the Federation away."

Zett looked very confused. "But, wouldn't the Gungans be eager to help drive the Neimoidians away?"

"Well, up to that point in time, the Naboo and the Gungans had no formal relations with each other," Anakin replied. "I'm not sure what the problem was exactly, but for some reason the Naboo and the Gungans didn't get along and ignored each other. The Gungans stuck to swampy areas and remote lakes and the Naboo took the rest of the planet. And for centuries, both did their best to ignore the fact that the other culture existed."

"That's _really _weird," Zett blinked.

"I know," Anakin agreed, "but that's the way that it was. So Padmé, her small staff, and the Jedi go and meet with the Gungan leader, Boss Nass. She begs for his help and manages to strike his fancy, so he pledges his support. The Gungan Grand Army is sent to draw off the droid army and Padmé takes the opportunity to slip into the Royal Palace. Before she can reach the throne room and apprehend the Federation Viceroy, the Sith Apprentice, Darth Maul, shows up and draws the Jedi away."

Zett's brown eyes grew large. "That's when Master Kenobi killed the Sith!" He breathed in awe.

"Yes, and that's when Master Jinn was killed," Anakin added.

Zett wilted a bit. "Oh, yeah…"

"Well," Anakin continued, "after that Padmé and her small force made it into the throne room and captured the Viceroy. Surrounding by a bunch of cocked blasters, the Neimoidians wisely surrendered and deactivated their army. And so Naboo was liberated and the Naboo and the Gungans began official relations." He smiled a little. "Master Obi-Wan said that the victory parade was a sight to see. I wish I could've been there to see it."

"Wow," Zett sighed. "What happened after that?"

"Obi-Wan was knighted and eventually left Coruscant behind for Corellia." _Where he met me_, Anakin mentally smirked. "And Padmé served her term as queen, was re-elected in a landslide, and the people were ready to amend the constitution so that she could serve longer, but she declined. Then the new queen, Jamilla, offered her the position of Senator of Naboo, and she accepted."

"So you found her again on Coruscant?" Zett mused.

"Sort of," Anakin shrugged, "but we'll get into _that_ some other time."

"Okay," Zett readily agreed. "Hey, Master?"

"What?" Anakin asked, burying his wariness.

"Um," Zett fiddled nervously with his sleeve. "If it's not too personal…um, could I watch the message?"

Anakin was surprised at the request. He pulled the small disk out of his pocket and studied it for a moment. _There's nothing I need to worry about on this._ "Sure," he decided, "bring it back when you're done with it."

Zett gingerly took the disk from Anakin's hand. "Yes, Master."

"Good," Anakin patted Zett's shoulder, "I'll see you later, then."

Zett nodded and slipped out of the room.

The instant that his Padawan was out of sight, he flopped back down onto the bed. Letting out a deep sigh, he returned to staring at the ceiling. If only it held the answers he needed…

* * *

"…_on this disk are coordinates that will lead you to me. Please come as soon as you can. I need your help…"_

Zett crouched in front of Master Anakin's green Astromech and stared at the spot on the floor where the message had been projected. The image had been small and the message short, but it had shown him enough. He thought about replaying it but he didn't.

This Padmé lady was pretty, just like Master Anakin said. Whether she was kind or not was hard to tell from the brief message. Although she did seem to be upset about something.

_She needs Master Anakin's help_, Zett noted. _But what does she need help with? Why does she need Master Anakin and not someone else?_

The Arfour unit whistled something, making Zett jump a bit. He glanced up in time to see the droid eject the message disk from its reader slot. Zett carefully took it and pocketed it to return to Master Anakin in a few minutes.

"Thank you, Arfour," he mumbled politely.

Zett straightened up and glanced around the garage. It was dark and cluttered and dirty, just like many other garages he'd been in. But this one was set apart by the fact that it was filled with sand.

There were crates of replacement parts for the farm machinery stacked everywhere. There were more tools than had names for stuck on every shelf and in every drawer. There were a couple of landspeeders, a swoop bike, and, hidden in a dark corner, Master Anakin's Eta-2 starfighter poking out from under a dusty tarp.

He remembered his last visit to the homestead a few years ago. Master Anakin had spent a lot of time working on his Jedi fighter then. Zett had helped by fetching tools and a few parts that he recognized, but little else; machines weren't his talent like they were Master Anakin's.

Taking one last look around, Zett abandoned the garage to return the message disk to Master Anakin. As he slipped through the sunken courtyard, he passed Melee as she was leaving to finish delivery route. She didn't look very happy, so he gave her a wide berth, not wishing to draw her attention. While she was probably a good person, he really hoped that he never ran into her again. The attention she gave his Master bothered him, especially since it made Master Anakin uncomfortable.

Slipping unnoticed into the living quarters section and Master Anakin's room. He hadn't been gone all that long, but in his absence is seemed that Master Anakin had managed to fall asleep. Not wanting to disturb him, Zett left the disk on the table near the bed and tip-toed out of the room.

_Now what am I going to do?_ Zett wondered as he leaned against the wall near Master Anakin's room.

"Zett, is something wrong?"

He looked up to see Beru watching him with a little concern. "No, I'm fine," Zett replied. "Master Anakin's sleeping now." He shifted around a bit nervously. "Um, do you need any help?"

Beru smiled, "Certainly. You can help me in the kitchen."

Zett nodded and followed her back into the kitchen. There she set him to cleaning some fruit and vegetables with a damp rag. As he did that, she was busy mixing up some kind of batter or dough in a bowl.

While Zett worked, he wondered what he and his Master would do next. Miss Padmé had requested Master Anakin's help, and he knew that his Master would respond, but how quickly? They wouldn't be leaving tonight; otherwise Master Anakin would already be making the arrangements. They _could_ leave in the morning, but would they? Or would they stay and visit with Master Anakin's family for a while longer?

And then there was Master Anakin's reaction to the message. Zett would've been bouncing off the walls with excitement if he'd gotten a message from some of his best friends, letting him know that they were alive after he'd thought them dead for years. But Master Anakin almost seemed upset when he'd come back from the garage, and he claimed that he loved this woman. It made him wonder if there was something else going on that he wasn't aware of. Perhaps Master Anakin knew what sort of help see was asking for.

_Patience_, he reminded himself as he started to slice up the vegetables and fruit that he had cleaned. _I'll find out the answers, I just have to be patient._

* * *

Anakin knew his mother wouldn't leave him alone about the message for very long. She was a curious soul and she didn't tolerate secrets well, especially when her child was the one keeping something from her. And, sure enough, she tracked him down after dinner when he was stargazing out by the garage doors.

Just before the third moon rose into the starry sky, she settled down beside him and huddled in her Bantha wool shawl to keep warm in the chilly desert night. She didn't say anything, but she didn't have to. Her presence beside him weighed on him until he had to say something to dispel the imagined tension. It was a trick that she used on him all the time and he had yet to find a way around it.

"I don't think I've been to any other planet where you can see as many stars as you can here," Anakin muttered, hoping vainly to avoid explaining the more complicated aspects of his relationship with Padmé to her.

"Anakin, why did you look so upset earlier?" His mother asked, not letting him evade the subject he so dreaded.

"I just had a lot to think about," Anakin shrugged.

"And what did you have to think about?" She pressed.

"A lot of things," he mumbled vaguely.

"Anakin," she scolded. "I want to help you, but you have to talk to me."

He swallowed and nervously began doodling meaningless patterns in the sand with his finger. "I…The way that I got into the Jedi was…very unusual. I was worried about my last owner tracking me down, so I lived under an alias for a while." _A really bad alias._ _Force, what was I thinking when I picked that?_ "And…that's part of what makes things so…complicated."

"You lived under a false name?" She frowned at the thought.

"Yeah," he shrugged uncomfortably. "No one knew my real name for a long, long time. I, um…I didn't even tell Padmé, which was stupid, I really should've, but…"

"But what, Ani?" she asked, her tone tinged with disapproval.

"I was scared to tell her, I thought that she might think less of me because I wasn't entirely honest with her, and because of some things that had happened in between the first time I met her and later." Anakin picked up a pinch of sand between his forefinger and thumb and let it slowly trickle back down to the ground. "It's stupid, I know, but…it made perfect sense to me at the time."

"Ani," his mother sighed and squeezed his shoulder.

"She knows the truth now," he mumbled, "I made sure that she knew that before we were separated. It's how she knew to send a message here for me if she needed to." He went back to drawing pictures in the dusty sand. "But, even when she thought that I was someone else, we still got to be friends." He smiled fondly as he remembered some of the better days on Coruscant. "It was nice, especially with the war and all. I had some place to go outside of the Temple when I was away from the front, a place where I could relax and forget for a while."

"You could've always come home, Ani," she pointed out.

"I thought about it sometimes," he admitted, "but it would've been too tricky to make it work. The leaves that they gave us were only a few weeks at a time, and we spent about half of that going to and leaving Coruscant. If I tried to leave the Temple and make it back here and then get back to the Temple so I could get back to the front, I would only have a day or two at most here."

"Oh, I see," she nodded thoughtfully.

"And Padmé's apartment was closer," he grinned teasingly.

She laughed a little and shook her head at his antics. "Well, if she knows the truth now, you have no reason to be upset about hearing from her."

"For one thing, I wasn't upset," he corrected. "I was more overwhelmed than anything. But as to why I was 'upset'…well…" _How the heck do I tell her this?_ "Um…"

"Spit it out, Anakin," his mother commanded.

"Uh…what do you think about being a grandmother?" He blurted out anxiously. …_Wait…that was stupid. Force! Why did I say that?_

For a minute his mother just stared at him uncomprehendingly. And then the meaning behind his blurted rhetorical question clicked into place in her mind and her eyes lit up with reflected starlight. "Ani?" she breathed in shock. "You-you have a baby?"

"Yes." He hadn't been sure before, but when he answered, he could feel the truth of his answer glittering in the Force around him. He _did_ have a child out there, waiting with Padmé for him.

His mother couldn't speak for a while after that. She was too busy crying happy tears, hugging him, and kissing him all over to say anything. But eventually her excitement got under control enough for her to interrogate him further.

"Is it a girl or a boy?" She asked breathlessly.

"Um, I don't know yet," he sheepishly admitted.

"You don't know yet?" his mother repeated in confusion.

"She hadn't given birth yet the last time I was with her," he shrugged. "And she didn't say a word about it in the message, so I guess I'll find out when I go and see her."

"Well," his mother recovered, "as soon as you find out, I expect a detailed holo-message with a lot of pictures attached."

Anakin laughed, "It's a deal, mom!"

"Good," she nodded in satisfaction. "Now come inside Ani, Cliegg has to shut the power down for the night."

"Yes, mother," he chuckled and followed her. "I'm coming."

_I…I'm a dad!_ Anakin grinned widely as he hopped down the stairs and into the Lars homestead. The shock that had numbed him most of the day finally seemed to be ebbing as a giddy sort of feeling knotted itself up in his chest. _This is so wizard!_

* * *

**Note: **Next chapter it's the part that you've all been waiting for! Hopefully I will do it justice...

Also, I'm in the process of revising Misunderstood. There wasn't anything wrong with the old version, but I, personally, am not entirely satisfied with the early parts, especially the section that cover Attack of the Clones. Therefore, I am improving it, and when I finish, the revised version will become 'canon' in this little universe and the old version will be deleted. Find the revised through my author page, it's currently titled Misunderstood V2._  
_


	23. 22: Angel

**Chapter 22**  
_Angel_

Padmé felt like screaming, but she of course refrained. She was currently the hostess of a casual lunch party out on her back patio for her nearest neighbors. Everything had started off well, but then Vexton Dare appeared and invited himself to their lunch.

The guests that she'd actually invited didn't dare say anything about it, but it was clear from their guarded expressions that they weren't any happier than she was at his unwanted appearance. They all knew that offending Vexton Dare was incredibly dangerous, for if he felt sufficiently wronged, he would use his family's vast resources to make the offender's life most unpleasant. To all of Vexton's neighbors on Viscan, he was a man to be feared, avoided if possible, tolerated when necessary, but never to be truly respected.

"These sandwiches are delicious!" Vexton gushed. "Did you make them Miss Padmé?"

"Yes," Padmé reluctantly admitted.

"I thought so." Vexton nodded in satisfaction and flashed her his charming perfect smile. "You are a most excellent cook."

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Dare," Padmé replied, struggling not to let her disgust show at his blatant flattery.

"I speak only the truth, but you are very welcome nevertheless," Vexton smiled.

Padmé suppressed a shudder and forced a polite smile. "You are too kind, Mr. Dare."

"Please, Miss Padmé, call me Vexton," he pleaded.

"No, I couldn't, Mr. Dare," Padmé insisted. _You are most certainly not my friend; I will not call you by name!_

"We've known each other for two years now," Vexton pouted. "Surely you know me well enough to use my given name."

"No," Padmé shook her head, "it wouldn't be proper."

"It wouldn't be proper?" Vexton snorted. "Come now, this shyness is at odds with your greater nature!"

Padmé did her best to hide her seething while her guests shifted nervously in their seats. "I couldn't, Mr. Dare," she repeated. "It would make me uncomfortable to address you that way."

Vexton's lips thinned unhappily. "Well, I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable, Miss Padmé," he said after a tense moment.

_Right, since when do you really care how I feel?_ "Thank you, Mr. Dare." Padmé sipped at her chilled fruit juice before firmly redirecting the conversation. "So Dana, is little Joh's arm any better?"

"Not yet, he still has a week before the cast comes off," Dana Wilk replied a tad nervously.

"Poor thing," Padmé sighed sympathically. "I hope he feels better."

"He will," Dana smiled, warming back up to the conversation. "And maybe now he'll think twice before he decides to try swinging through the trees like a Xenax lemur."

"Perhaps I can talk Sabé into whipping up a batch of cookies for him and his sisters," Padmé mused.

"They'd like that very much," Grenner Wilk, Dana's husband, grinned.

"I'll ask her then," Padmé resolved.

"Ah, always the generous one, Miss Padmé," Vexton sighed, butting in. "You are, by far, the most kind and giving woman I have ever had the privilege to meet."

"You flatter me, Mr. Dare," Padmé replied politely. "Bria, how has Leda been taking her first days of school?"

Bria Drummond started a bit and shot a nervous glance in Vexton's direction before answering. "The first day was hard, she didn't want to go, but now she loves it."

"It's almost a fight to get her to come home some days," Lan Drummond, Bria's husband, chuckled.

"I'm glad," Padmé beamed. "Hopefully Luke and Leia will have as a good a time in school when they're old enough."

"I'm sure that they will," Bria responding reassuringly. "They're such clever children; you must be very proud of them."

"I am," Padmé sighed. _I am._

"They must get their sharp minds from their mother," Vexton chimed in, determined to remain an important player in the conversation.

"Perhaps," Padmé easily conceded.

"I see so much of you in them, Miss Padmé." Vexton continued. "I'm sure that they'll both grow into wonderful people."

Padmé almost felt like gagging. She knew that he was lying. Vexton could barely tolerate children and generally ignored them. He only cared for her children to the point of trying to worm his way into her good graces. That was something that would happen when all nine of Corellia's hells froze over.

"I'm sure that they will," Padmé replied stiffly. "They'll get that from both sides of their family."

Vexton frowned slightly at the indirect reference to her long-absent husband and father of her offspring. "I suppose," he shrugged dubiously. "Though, if their father is as good as you always claim he is, why isn't he here?"

Padmé clutched her drink glass so hard her knuckles bleached white. "He will come back. He always comes back to me," she retorted sharply. _He will if he knows what's good for him!_

"So he's left you often before?" Vexton asked innocently, though Padmé caught the wicked gleam in his eye.

_If only I could slap you,_ Padmé mentally growled. "When his work calls him away, yes."

Vexton tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Miss Padmé, I don't ever remember you telling me your husband's occupation."

"He worked for an intergalactic shipping company and would travel with their ships on some voyages," Padmé answered a bit sharply.

Vexton arched an eyebrow. "Worked?"

"I imagine that he's lost his job because of all the chaos in the newly formed Empire," Padmé frowned. "Or he's quit to come and find me."

"I suppose," Vexton shrugged dubiously.

_Bastard,_ Padmé swore venomously.

She prided herself on being fair and tolerant of nearly everyone, but Vexton just pressed every button she possessed. He was just like Senator Josef Vorski, only he was twice as dogged in his pursuit, and he was unfortunately no coward. No man intimidated him, except perhaps his father. And his father never came to Xendiir, leaving Vexton with free reign to do as he pleased with absolute impunity.

Padmé looked away from Vexton's smug expression to concentrate on her lunch. But when she caught sight of her friends' faces, her meal turned to sawdust in her mouth. Their eyes were all full of pity. They pitied her for her blind loyalty to a man they didn't know, a man they assumed had abandoned her and her children.

_Ani will come back for me,_ she thought stubbornly. _He found his way back to me before Geonosis and every time he left for battle he came back. Ani will come back again. He will…_

* * *

Zett chewed at his lip anxiously as he watched Master Anakin pace. After two weeks of work, they'd made it into the Yunil Sector, but no farther. This planet they wanted to get to, Xendiir, was remote and few ships traveled directly there. Ships more usually went to Verdant, the more populous planet in the same System, but no ships were scheduled to leave Argolis (their current location) for Verdant for another two weeks. And that upset Master Anakin, so he paced to try and control his frustration. 

"I can't believe this!" Master Anakin fumed under his breath as he paced back and forth in front of the bench where Zett sat. "I can't believe it!"

"Master," Zett gulped, "people are starting to stare."

Master Anakin paused and found that, indeed, passers-by near the spaceport were starting to stare at him, so he stopped pacing. "This is ridiculous," he muttered, tapping his fingertips against his arms. "No ships for two weeks. I thought the planet catalogue said that Verdant was a major shipping hub!"

"I guess that Argolis doesn't ship much to Verdant," Zett shrugged.

"That's true," Master Anakin sighed. "That's true; Argolis does more importing than exporting." He slumped down beside Zett on the bench. "This is most…inconvenient."

"Yep," Zett quietly agreed as he watched pedestrians stroll past them and the nearby spaceport.

While he was annoyed for his Master at this inconvenient turn of events, he also felt relieved. Zett was curious about this Padmé lady that his Master admittedly loved, but he was in no hurry to meet her. More specifically, he was in no hurry to meet her and his Master's child.

The thought that such a thing could've occurred still bothered him a lot. It made him wish that he'd never found out about it. Though he would eventually have found out about it anyway, seeing as he was going with Master Anakin to her house…

He'd been curious as to why Master Anakin was so agitated upon learning of Lady Padmé's survival. Shock didn't quite explain it to him, and so he had asked and asked until Master Anakin had answered him. The answer shut him up for pretty much the rest of the day.

It seemed that Master Anakin did more than just admire Lady Padmé. He'd done more than love her from afar, he'd loved her much closer than that. And he had conceived a child with her. A child that he had never met.

Zett wasn't sure what to think or feel about that.

_Master Anakin is full of surprises,_ Zett sighed to himself. _Every time I think that I know all of them, he comes up with something else to shock me with. First it was him not being a real Jedi, then it was him loving a woman, and now he has a baby somewhere… Where will it end?_

"Can we go get some lunch?" Zett asked, peering curiously up at his sulking Master.

Master Anakin sighed and nodded. "Alright let's…" He paused as a look of dazed confusion filtered over his face.

Zett frowned in puzzlement. "What is it, Master?" _I don't sense anything…_

A smile flitted over Master Anakin's face and his eyes glowed, shedding the lingering dullness that had settled into them since the holo-message from Lady Padmé had thrown him for a loop. Then the smile evolved into a wicked smirk and the light in his eyes sharpened into something mischievous. He raised a single finger to his lips, signaling silence, and then straightened up and stared straight ahead as if nothing at all had changed.

Zett blinked a few times before obeying his Master's command and following his example. As he waited for something to happen, he tried to extend subtle mental probes out around him to see if he could sense what Master Anakin most obviously detected. However, all he really picked up was the dull static of the ordinary minds that passed by around them. And then—

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," Master Anakin drawled with a smirk as a bearded man was walking past them. "What brings you to Argolis?"

The man stopped, turned, and Zett couldn't help but gape at what he saw. Member of the High Council and Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, his Master's Master, was standing there, gaping right back at him. Well, actually he was gaping at Master Anakin, but it almost looked like he was gaping at Zett since he was sitting so close by.

"Hello there…Anakin." Master Kenobi managed after a minute. "What's that on your face?"

Master Anakin chuckled and scratched at his fuzzy chin. "This is imitation, my Master."

Master Kenobi appeared irritated at the answer. "Very cute, Anakin."

"Thank you," Master Anakin grinned. "It's also a good disguise _and_ an excuse to be lazy in the morning."

"I see," Master Kenobi snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

Grinning, Master Anakin hopped up from the bench and wrapped Master Kenobi in a crushing embrace. "I missed you, Obi-Wan."

"I missed you too, Anakin," Master Kenobi wheezed. "Can I breathe now?"

"I suppose," Master Anakin snickered, letting the older Jedi go. "So, what brings you to Argolis?"

"Business," Master Kenobi sighed sadly. "With the Order gone, I actually have to do ordinary work to earn money every now and then."

"The horror," Master Anakin chuckled and patted Master Kenobi's shoulder. "Is it really that bad?"

"It depends," Master Kenobi replied. "And just so you know, I've settled on a much less exotic identity than 'Obi-Wan Kenobi.'"

"Oh?" Master Anakin blinked. "Do tell."

"I am now _Ben_ Kenobi," Master Kenobi replied gravely, "a much more forgettable individual."

Master Anakin snorted into his hand as he did his best not to dissolve into a full-on laughing fit.

"Thank you for your support and understanding, Anakin." Master Kenobi grumbled.

"You're welcome!" Master Anakin choked, rubbing at his eyes.

"Well, what brings _you_ to Argolis?" Master Kenobi inquired.

"What brings us to Argolis?" Master Anakin wheezed. "Well—"

"Us?" Master Kenobi blinked. "What 'us?'"

"Me," Master Anakin pointed at himself, "and him," then he pointed at Zett.

Zett waved cheerfully when Master Kenobi turned and gave him a second look. "Hello, Master Kenobi."

"Hello," Master Kenobi replied slowly. "And who might you be?"

"Oh come now, _Ben_." Master Anakin smirked. "You remember Zett. From Jabiim… Before everything went all to hell…"

"Oh…oh yes! I remember now." Master Kenobi smiled down at him. "It's nice to see you again."

"It's good to see you too, Master Kenobi." Zett nodded politely.

"How long have you two been traveling together?" Master Kenobi asked curiously.

"Just about two years now, if I have the count right," Master Anakin replied.

"So long and you never found one of the Guides?" Master Kenobi frowned.

"The Guides?" Master Anakin repeated slowly.

"What are those?" Zett asked hesitantly.

Master Kenobi stepped closer to them and spoke quietly so as not to be overheard. "Knights and Masters who remain at the edges of the Empire to lead others to a place of safety," he responded cryptically.

"No, we've never met any Guide," Master Anakin shrugged. "The only other one of us we came across was A'Sharad Hett."

Master Kenobi stroked his beard. "Where was he?"

"On Tatooine hiding out with the Sandpeople, of course." Master Anakin muttered.

"Of course," Master Kenobi nodded to himself, "I'll have to look into that."

Neither man spoke for a while so Zett spoke up. "Master, weren't we going to go get lunch?"

"Yes," Master Anakin nodded, "yes, we were. Care to join us…_Ben_?"

"I've just finished eating, however I am more than happy to keep you two company." Master Kenobi smiled cheerfully. "All I ask is that you catch me up on what you've been doing these past few years."

"No problem!" Master Anakin grinned. "Let's go!"

Zett grinned, got off the bench, and picked up his pack. _Alright, lunch!_

* * *

Anakin sat in the co-pilot's chair of Obi-Wan's shuttle, massaged his temples wearily, and sighed. _Oh, what a day…_

First there had been the rather familiar frustration of not being able to find a ride to Xendiir. That had been dogging him for weeks. He supposed that its remoteness was a big part of why Padmé chose the place, but he really wasn't appreciating that particular feature at the moment.

But then something happened that hadn't occurred in a long, long time. A good thing happened. He found Obi-Wan.

The dull numbness in the bond stretched so thin by distance was gone, replaced by the warmth and comfort of his Master's close presence. It had been so long he'd started to forget what it felt like. Anakin was so glad to have it back to the way it was supposed to be.

Although, there was something different, which was part of the reason why he had a mild headache. When he focused, he could see the old bond that he shared with Obi-Wan glowing as it always had, silvery and thin but strong and deeply-rooted. But near it was something new. A second bond drifted there, thick at the base in his own mind and thin at the other end, gray and still weak with its newness.

It was the result of what Obi-Wan had jokingly termed his last "Jedi lesson." As a result of his most unorthodox entry into the Jedi Order, he'd never been subject to the usual training bond formed between Master and Padawan. And since he was never expected to take a student of his own, he'd never been taught how to form one of his own. Now, after Obi-Wan's instruction, he finally formed the traditional and essential link with his student, Zett, nearly two years late.

"How are you holding up?" Obi-Wan asked as he approached with two cups.

"Okay, I think." Anakin shrugged with a sigh. "It feels so…weird…though."

Obi-Wan chuckled and handed him one of the cups. "I'm sure that it does. But you'll get used to it in time."

"How long?" Anakin asked.

"Now that" – Obi-Wan settled down into the pilot's chair – "depends entirely on you."

"Great," Anakin grumbled, slumping down in his seat.

"Patience," Obi-Wan counseled and sipped at his drink.

"It's always patience," Anakin lamented and took a sip of his own drink and then he promptly choked on it. "Ack! What's this, Corellian whiskey?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan chuckled. "You looked like you could use some."

"Thanks for the warning," Anakin frowned, sipping at his drink more carefully.

"Well if you paid any attention to what you were drinking…" Obi-Wan smirked.

Anakin sighed and rolled his eyes. "Okay, I get it, be more observant."

Obi-Wan only laughed softly in response.

Grumbling nonsense under his breath, Anakin nursed his cup of whiskey and stared out the cockpit viewscreen at the wild warping view of hyperspace. After lunch and the catch-up session with Obi-Wan on Argolis, his former Master had offered his assistance in getting them to their goal. And without hesitation Anakin had accepted.

However, when he saw Obi-Wan's ship, he regretted his agreement just and itty bitty bit. The shuttled was small, old, and not in the best of repair. Anakin was going to have to do a little work before they left, just to make sure that Obi-Wan's rust bucket (which oddly enough was named _Rust Bucket_) was really space-worthy. The look on Obi-Wan's face when he set about his inspection and repair was enough to make Anakin think that that was part of the reason why Obi-Wan offered to give him a lift to Xendiir.

"Hey Obi-Wan? Where'd you come up with the name of 'Ben' anyway?" Anakin asked as the question crossed his mind.

"A friend suggested it," Obi-Wan replied vaguely.

"Oh?" Anakin arched an eyebrow. For some reason this question made Obi-Wan nervous and he was most curious as to why.

Obi-Wan said nothing and simply continued to work on his drink.

Anakin shrugged and decided to let it slide. For now, anyway. "So how did you get this lovely piece of rust, _Ben_?" he inquired curiously.

"I got it from Siri who rescued it from a scrap yard," Obi-Wan snorted. "I wish she'd rescued something a little less rusty."

Anakin chuckled, "I'm sure." He tossed back the last of his whiskey and set the empty cup aside on a nearby console. "So tell me about this 'safe place' that these Guides were supposed to lead us to if we ever found any?"

"It's an uncharted system on the fringes of the galaxy, deep in the unknown territories. We call it Sanctuary and it's hidden at the heart of a nebula that distorts the Force around it. The nebula also blocks sensors scans, so it is an ideal hiding place for us." Obi-Wan finished off his own whiskey and put the empty cup down. "It's a primitive world with no native civilization and few resources, but the night sky is amazing. There aren't really any stars, just the rainbow colors of the nebula gasses."

"Wow," Anakin grinned, "I should go there some time, it sounds interesting." _After I see Padmé, that is._ A sudden spike of worry from his Master made his grin fade. "What is it?"

"Don't be in such a hurry to get to Sanctuary," Obi-Wan said slowly. "One Knight managed to get his hands on some damning information and spread it throughout the Order without clearance from the Council. When you do go there, don't expect to be greeted with much warmth."

Anakin sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair, "Shavit!" _I'm a fugitive from the Empire **and** a Jedi pariah…joy._

"I'll see what I can do," Obi-Wan promised, "but for now, you should steer clear of Sanctuary."

"Right," Anakin nodded and wearily rubbed his gloved right hand over his face.

"Now I suggest you follow your Padawan's example and get some sleep," Obi-Wan declared cheerfully. "We'll be reaching Xendiir around mid-morning local time."

"Yes, Master." Anakin dragged himself out of the co-pilot's seat and headed back to the tiny sleeping cabin. "I'll see you when we land."

"Good night, Anakin!" Obi-Wan called after him.

"Good night," Anakin called back. _Not that I'm going to sleep. I'm too anxious for sleep…_

* * *

Dry heat Anakin could take just fine. He had been born on a desert planet after all. But humidity and heat was murder, and he hated it almost as much as cold temperatures. 

The sky was overcast with dull gray clouds, threatening rain, and the atmosphere was wet and heavy. There was so much moisture in the air that sweat didn't evaporate, leaving it clinging to the skin and making everyone miserable. The still air swallowed sounds, making the hike down the road eerie as well as uncomfortable.

Anakin struggled to keep a calm, leisurely pace as he followed the winding black strip of paved street. He wanted nothing more than to run the rest of the way to Padmé's address, but he couldn't. He had to set a good example for Zett, and running in this sticky heat was a good way to make himself sick. So he walked with his fists buried deep in his jacket pockets to keep his hands from visibly shaking.

"Is it always so hot here?" Zett asked wearily.

"Yes, this is a tropical region." Obi-Wan replied. "It might cool down a bit after it rains, but the rain could last for hours."

"Oh," Zett mumbled.

"It will be cooler inside." Anakin added distractedly.

Zett sighed and they continued on in silence once more.

All around them were exotic plants and animals, but Anakin barely saw any of it. He barely felt the teeming life that surrounded him, his Master, or his Padawan. His mind was too busy tormenting him with fragmented recollections of the haunting visions of Padmé that had plagued him and with hundreds of scenarios of how their meeting would go. He just couldn't clear and quiet his mind now that he was on Xendiir, so very close to her again.

Trudging around yet another bend in the road, Anakin stopped dead in his tracks and stared, open-mouthed. A gray stone castle drenched in green clinging vines rose up out of the jungle, bringing to mind old fairy tales his mother had told him as a child. It looked ancient, grand, and magical. And the sign by the road named it Dannarak Castle, the same place that Padmé claimed as her home.

"Wow," Zett breathed. "She lives _here_?"

"Yes she does," Obi-Wan chuckled. "Now let us go inside before it starts to rain."

It took a shove from Obi-Wan to un-stick Anakin's feet and get him walking towards the awesome structure. Stumbling, Anakin nervously picked his way down a dirt path towards the entrance to the castle. To his embarrassment and great irritation, it took a few tries to properly key in the door code so that they could step inside. On the other side of the door, he found something he did not expect.

A strange alien stood a few feet away, frozen mid-step. It was on the small side with a slender form. Long-necked and long-limbed, it looked so fragile he thought that he might break it by accident. It was covered in short, fine, light brown fur with some darker lines on its neck and face. It also possessed stubbly black horns on its head and black cloven hooves on its feet. Judging from its startled expression and frozen pose, he wasn't expected either.

"Hello there," Obi-Wan greeted quietly, slipping past Anakin and giving a small polite bow. "Is Padmé in?"

The alien gave a jerky nod and took a few nervous, clicking steps away from them.

"Excellent!" Obi-Wan nodded and took Anakin's bag from him. "You go find her," he instructed Anakin. "And you," he beckoned to Zett, "come with me to the kitchen."

"Yes, Master Kenobi." Zett replied obediently and followed him off to the kitchen.

Anakin watched them go in a slight daze. When he looked back towards the strange little alien, he found that it had escaped and was nowhere in sight. Gulping nervously in a vain attempt to wet his dry mouth, he stepped into the castle and began his search for Padmé.

Letting his feelings, chaotic and jittery as they were, guide him, he went up a flight of stares and navigated a few hallways. The further he went, the more his surrounding matched the hazy images he remembered from his dream-visions. And then he reached the room.

She was sitting on a sofa in what was probably a common room. Her dark hair hung loose, spilling over her shoulders and down her back in curly waves. She was dressed in a simple dull red dress that, despite its plainness, looked like an elegant ballroom gown when she wore it. Her pale face was locked in a subtle expression of sadness and loneliness and her hand absently caressed a familiar wooden pendant that hung around her neck.

Then her deep brown eyes drifted over to where he was standing. They widened in unguarded surprise. And then her face lit up with a radiant smile.

She stood up and approached him, gliding gracefully over the carpet. She wrapped her arms around him in a loving embrace while he stood frozen in stunned shock. Then she stroked his cheek and tilted her head up to whisper into his ear.

"Ani…"

And then she abruptly drew back and slapped him across the face.

_Ow!_ Anakin blinked, more shocked than physically hurt. **_That_** _didn't happen in my vision! …Though, I suppose I deserve that…for a lot of things._

"What took you so long?" Her tone was sweet, but there was irritation and a touch of anger underneath it.

"I came as soon as I got your message," he gulped and rubbed at his stinging cheek. "I-I just didn't get that message…for a while."

"Mm-hm," Padmé frowned. Narrowing her eyes, she placed two fingers under his chin and tilted his head in a few different directions. "What's this?" She poked at his beard curiously.

Anakin swallowed hard as tingles started to race up and down his spine. "It's, um, my disguise."

She ran her fingertips over it a few times before delivering her verdict. "Well you don't need it here, shave it off please."

"Yes, Milady." Anakin agreed meekly.

"Thank you," Padmé's frown faded, but she didn't smile. "We'll talk more a bit later…and we have a lot to talk about."

"Right," he nodded.

Padmé turned and started to leave him, but she stopped a few steps shy of the doorway. She stood there for several minutes and he almost worked up the nerve to ask her what was wrong. Then she turned and rushed back to him, grasping him in a second, more desperate embrace. Anakin blinked in bewilderment before slowly hugging her back.

"I missed you," Padmé whispered into his chest. "I missed you, Ani."

Anakin kissed the top of her head before resting his chin there. He rubbed her back lightly as she trembled in his arms. "I missed you too," he murmured back. _I missed you, my Angel… _

* * *

**Notes: **Ah, mushy sweetness... Hope you like it. 

Now keep your eyes peeled for the next update (Chapter 6: Testing) of Misunderstood V2! The content will be completely all new!

Until next time, see ya!


	24. 23: Double Trouble

**Note: **Heh, sorry this took so long. My brain was thoroughly fried after finals, and then there was some Christmas shopping to get done. But hey! here it is! Merry (early) Christmas! Hope you like it.

* * *

**Chapter 23  
**_Double Trouble_

Obi-Wan sat at the small kitchen table and calmly sipped at some local blend of tea. He took his time and savored every sip of the steaming drink, carefully examining the complex flavor, and at the same time subtly observing his companion. Young Zett Jukassa, his Padawan's Padawan, was most certainly not calmly enjoying his tea.

The boy fidgeted, tapping his fingers in a nervous pattern on his ceramic mug. He couldn't quite seem to get comfortable as every few minutes he shifted around on his chair. And he was so distracted that he burned his mouth several times when he let too much of the hot drink into his mouth at once. Waiting for Anakin to reappear wasn't something that he seemed to be particularly good at.

When Zett checked the chronometer worriedly for what was probably the hundredth time, Obi-Wan finally decided to distract him. "Is there some HoloNet program that you're hoping to catch?"

The Padawan jumped guiltily. "No, Master Kenobi."

Obi-Wan raised a curious eyebrow. "Are you expecting something to happen at some particular time?"

Zett shook his head slowly. "No, Master Kenobi."

"Then please refrain from looking at the chronometer." Obi-Wan took a long sip of his tea. "The faster you wish time to flow, the longer it seems to take. Watching the chronometer like a hawkbat doesn't help."

"Yes, Master Kenobi." Zett nodded quietly.

Obi-Wan sighed. "You don't have to call me 'Master Kenobi' all the time. Call me Obi-Wan—or better yet, call me Ben."

Zett stared at him, aghast. "But-but Master Kenobi that would be disrespectful!"

"It would be disrespectful if I hadn't given you permission to do so, and I have." Obi-Wan corrected.

"But…" Zett floundered.

"Don't worry so much about it," Obi-Wan advised. "I've grown accustomed to a moderate level of disrespect, mostly due to Anakin," he added with a snort.

The Padawan only gaped at him in response.

Obi-Wan stroked his beard thoughtfully. "How much has Anakin told you of his early years as a Jedi?"

"Not much," Zett replied hesitantly. "Mostly that he was…unpleasant to deal with."

"Quite," Obi-Wan chuckled. _Strange how I can laugh at it all now…_ "Hm, well speaking of Anakin, I'm sure that he'll show up soon."

Zett chewed at his lip and stared fixedly down into his tea.

Before Obi-Wan could speak with Zett any further, the crisp click of shoes impacting tile, and a whisper in the Force, heralded the arrival of another person. He glanced up to see the former Senator of Naboo stride into the room. Alone. Curious, he gave her a questioning look.

Padmé started a bit upon seeing him in her kitchen, but she recovered quickly. "Oh, Obi-Wan! Hello!" She flashed him a wry smile. "I suppose I should thank you for finally dragging Anakin out here."

"He was already on his way here," Obi-Wan chuckled. "I just helped him along the way. It's very hard to find transport out to Xendiir this time of year, you know."

"Well, thank you all the same," Padmé sighed as her smile faded. "It's been getting worse here."

"Worse?" Obi-Wan frowned, concerned. During his last visit, Padmé had made her situation clear to him. There were many neighbors that were uneasy with the fact that her "husband" was little more than a ghost, a man that none of them had ever met. And there was one man in particular who was driving her up the wall.

"Worse?" Zett blinked. "What's worse?"

Padmé did a double-take upon discovering the young, shaggy-haired Padawan that was also in her kitchen. "Hello. Who are you?"

Zett cringed and looked horribly embarrassed at being noticed. "Zett Jukassa, Miss."

Padmé studied him thoughtfully before turning back to Obi-Wan. "Where did you find him?"

"With Anakin," Obi-Wan replied.

"Oh?" Padmé blinked. She frowned in concentration as she mulled his answer over. And then it clicked in her mind. "So, you'll be staying here with us?" she asked Zett slowly.

Zett nodded as he stared into his cup of tea. "Yes, if Master Anakin is."

"Then you'll be staying." Padmé sighed. "I'm so glad that I found a nice, big house here. Otherwise this might've been a problem."

"I don't mean to be any trouble," Zett squeaked nervously.

"I know, and it's no trouble," Padmé hastily assured him. "I just need to make a few adjustments is all."

Zett swallowed nervously and looked away, radiating waves of discomfort.

Obi-Wan took pity on him and changed the subject. "So tell me, Padmé, how is he taking things so far?"

"Fairly well, I think." Padmé smiled slightly and tucked a loose strand of brown hair behind her ear. "But he's only seen me. I haven't really told him anything yet."

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan chuckled. "And where are those twin terrors of yours?"

"Out with Sabé, playing by the lake," Padmé replied as she glanced up at the chronometer. "They should be back in a half an hour at the latest." She shot him a curious look. "Have you told him anything?"

"I haven't told him a thing." Obi-Wan hid his small smile in his cup of tea.

"Keeping secrets from your old apprentice?" Padmé smirked.

"Yes," he shrugged, "but he'll find out everything for himself soon enough."

"That's true," Padmé agreed as she leaned up against one of the kitchen counters.

"What's true?" Anakin asked as he finally found his way into the kitchen.

"You'll see," Obi-Wan chuckled. And then he almost burst out laughing when he caught at good look at Anakin's face. _I guess Padmé isn't much of a fan of beards._

"What have you all been plotting behind my back?" Anakin asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Padmé replied as she walked over to him. She made a little show of studying his clean-shaven face before nodding in satisfaction. "Much better."

A silly grin spread over Anakin's face and all suspicions of conspiracies against him were thoroughly erased from his mind.

Obi-Wan shook his head at him and finished off the last of his tea. Off to the side, he could see Zett grow less and less comfortable watching his Master gaze affectionately at a woman that the Padawan had only known for a few minutes. Not particularly comfortable with the scene himself, Obi-Wan decided to leave.

"Well I think I'll take a walk." Obi-Wan announced. "Would you like to come with me?" he asked Zett.

"Yes, sir." Zett nodded timidly.

"Come along then," Obi-Wan beckoned and led the Padawan out of the kitchen and then out of the castle into the humid, tropical air.

He knew that Anakin was still shaken by the knowledge that Padmé lived and deeply distracted by her presence, but he hoped that Anakin adjusted to it quickly for his Padawan's sake. No Jedi Padawan had ever had to share his Master's attention as Zett would have to, and this was something that the boy was simply not prepared for. Anakin was thoroughly unique among the Jedi, and Obi-Wan was certain that if anyone could find a way to make his current situation work, it would be him. But Anakin had to realize what needed to be done, and that would take time, especially now.

_Difficult as it will be, Anakin, I hope that you don't forget your responsibilities to your Padawan as you catch up with the responsibilities that you owe your family…_

* * *

Padmé briefly glanced over at Obi-Wan as he and the young Jedi Padawan left the room. When they were gone, she transferred her gaze back to Anakin, who still looked slightly dazed to her. But at least he didn't look as scruffy as he had with that ridiculous patch of fuzz on his chin. 

"So tell me, Anakin," she crossed her arms over her chest, "when did you pick up that little follower of yours?"

"Huh?" Anakin stared blankly.

"That boy that was with Obi-Wan," Padmé elaborated.

"Oh-oh him." His eyes fell to the floor as his mind fought to come up with an answer. "When did I find him? Um…about two months or so after the Temple Massacre."

"Ah," she nodded, "and he's been with you ever since?"

"Yes, he has." He looked off to the side sadly. "I tried to find him some other Jedi to travel with, but he didn't want that. And I'm glad that he decided to stay with me. He kept me from getting too lonely, gave me something to do, someone to look after."

It took a moment for Padmé to determine the source of his subdued mood. _He read about my 'death' at some point in the news-faxes, so…he really thought that I was dead._ "I'm sorry, Anakin. If there was a way of warning you before I set that accident in motion, I would have. I didn't mean for you to go so long thinking that I was gone."

"I know," he smiled weakly. "So, are you going to catch me up on what I need to know now?"

"No, not yet," she decided. "I'd like to get all the surprises out of the way first."

"Surprises?" Anakin frowned. "What sort of surprises?"

"Good ones," she assured him. "Would you like a short tour of the castle?"

He eyed her suspiciously. "Alright."

Padmé grinned and led him to the top floor to begin her little tour. She pointed out every room, and even a few of the particularly important closets, on each floor. While pointing out the cluster of bedrooms, she was careful not to let Anakin get more than a glimpse of the nursery. When he started to go back and look at it, she successfully distracted him by having him help her figure out which bedrooms would suit him and his Padawan best. Then she rushed him down to the next level, preventing him from noticing the two beds in the nursery and, even more telling, the girl-themed and boy-themed halves of the room.

"Hey Padmé?" Anakin asked timidly as they reached the ground floor again.

"Yes?" She paused in the grand foyer at the front of the house. It was the single grandest room in the castle, seconded only by the ballroom. She was fond of the wide staircase that led up to the next level, but the decorative columns were just a bit excessive in her opinion.

"Who was the little alien that we saw when we came in?" He asked, briefly glancing up at the pink-tinted crystal chandelier that hung in the center of the room.

"You saw Maré?" Padmé blinked in surprise. "She's a Najiimite that Sabé picked up while running an errand for me."

Anakin shot her an inquiring look. "What sort of errand was that?"

"She's my representative to the Alliance," Padmé replied. "I'd go myself, but people would notice and wonder where I'd gone off to. Since the neighbors see her as little more than a servant, they don't miss her as much unless she's gone for a very long time."

Anakin's expression turned puzzled. "The Alliance?"

"It's an underground organization opposed to the Empire," she explained. "Many Senators of the Delegation of Two Thousand are involved with it. Well, those who haven't been imprisoned, or even executed, on fabricated charges of treason."

"Oh," he nodded thoughtfully. After a minute, he came up with another question. "So, the Alliance knows that you're alive, too?"

"Only Bail, since he helped me stage my death," she corrected. "The rest are as in the dark as you were. Though Sabé suspects that Mon Mothma may have guessed my true identity."

"'True identity'?" Anakin snorted. "What's your _false_ identity?"

"To the Alliance, I am Lady Ami Dala of the Starry Void." Padmé announced quite seriously.

Anakin looked incredulous. "'Ami Dala'? No one's figured that out yet?"

"Not as far as I know," she shrugged. "I wasn't at my most creative when I had to come up with that particular cover."

"Hmm," Anakin glanced around the foyer with a vaguely worried look on his face. "How did you afford this place?"

"It was a steal really," she smirked. "The previous owner wasn't selling it for the money; he just never came out here anymore and wanted to find someone who would take good care of the property. When I met with him to examine the land for myself, he liked me so much that he marked the price down even more."

"Wow," Anakin smiled a little, "that _was_ a steal."

"It certainly helped that the man had soft spots for pretty women and cute children." Padmé smiled sweetly.

Anakin didn't immediately reply, instead running the fingers of his left hand over the cool white marble of one of the decorative columns. He looked around the room again and then, surprisingly, laughed a little bit. Padmé tilted her head curiously and asked the obvious question.

"What's so funny?"

"I just find this place very…appropriate." he replied.

"Oh?" she blinked. "How so?"

"What better place to find a queen than in a castle?" he smirked.

"Anakin, I haven't been a queen for a very long time," she sighed.

He opened his mouth to respond—then snapped it shut as the sound of squealing children echoed down the halls, heralding the return of the twins from their little lake excursion.

After playing along the shores of the property's lake, her babies were most assuredly muddy and wet, so Sabé had brought them back in through a side door instead of the front. Padmé had expected this, but now that Anakin was here, she derived some slight amusement from the action of keeping her nicer floors clean. She watched Anakin subtly shift from slightly nervous, to nearly a nervous wreck.

_What's this?_ Padmé smiled in surprise as she watched Anakin visibly pale. _A brave Jedi Knight of the Old Republic – a man who survived the fires of the Clone Wars and the massacre of his Order – is afraid of his own toddlers?_ She sobered when he started to sweat a bit and took pity on him.

"Come on," she tugged at his arm. "Let's go do the introductions."

"Right," he gulped and stumbled after her.

Padmé would be lying to herself if she didn't admit that she'd dreamed about the moment when her children finally met their father. She tried to be realistic about it when she imagined the long-awaited event, but there were always some traces of pure fantasy that found their way in. Now that the pure reality was looming, she would soon see just how accurate (or _in_accurate) her little day-dreams turned out to be.

It certainly started out well enough. She brought Anakin to the small mudroom at the side door where Sabé was busily peeling off the twins muddy shoes. It was hard to tell which of the children was muddier, though it was clear that they'd both need baths and a complete change of outfits. It seemed that the two little devils had escaped from Sabé's control and had a mud fight. Again.

After her quick assessment of her offspring's state of cleanliness, she turned her gaze back to Anakin, who was peeking over her shoulder. He was still rather pale and obviously nervous, but that was quickly overshadowed by a look of deep confusion. His blue eyes flickered between the two muddy toddlers; either he was trying to decide which one was his, or trying to figure out why he was seeing two children instead of the one that he expected to find.

_I know I shouldn't be messing with his mind like this. I really should just tell him. _She clasped a hand over her mouth to help suppress her giggles. _But really, the look on his face…!_

Several times it looked like he was going to say something, but his mouth would always close before any sound came out. Padmé felt no need to hurry him. Luke and Leia were too absorbed in making pests of themselves to Sabé to notice that they were being watched. And Sabé was too busy wrestling with filthy children, trying to get them clean enough to walk through the house and into the nearest refresher, to notice anything either.

Finally it seemed to click in his head and Anakin mouthed 'both of them?' to her.

Padmé nodded calmly, forcing back a smirk, and leaned in a little closer to his ear to whisper. "Why do you think I hit you?"

That one little whisper, as soft as it was, was just loud enough for Luke to catch. The muddy little boy spun around and fixed his shiny blue eyes on her face, completely missing Anakin who was just behind her. He squealed in delight and ran up to her, fisting his muddy little hands in the skirt of her nice, clean dress.

"Mama, mama!" Luke squeaked, bouncing up and down. "We wen' down to da lake an' play'd in da mud!"

"I can see that, Luke." She shifted her expression into a slightly watered down version of her politician's mask and crossed her arms over her chest. "Were you _supposed_ to go play in the mud?"

Luke's joyous expression melted into something worried. "No," he replied slowly.

"But it was fun!" Leia insisted, immediately jumping to her (slightly) older brother's defense.

"Did Aunt Sabé give you permission to play in the mud, Leia?" Padmé inquired, already knowing what the answer would be.

Leia scrunched up her dirt-streaked face and squirmed around under Padmé's heavy stare for a few minutes before answering, "No."

"I didn't think so," Padmé frowned slightly. "Now you two apologize to Aunt Sabé for being so naughty so we can get you cleaned up."

"Sowry," Luke apologized immediately, hanging his muddy blonde head sadly.

"Sowry," Leia grumbled unhappily, a scowl warping her normally angelic features.

_Leia, what am I going to do with you?_ "Now off to the bathtub with the both of you!" she ordered, sternly pointing the way to the nearest refresher.

"No!" Leia stomped her little foot. "No baff!"

Luke hugged himself and moaned in distress at the dreaded thought of a bath.

"Oh come now," Sabé scowled as she scrubbed her own mud-caked shoes with a towel. "You love taking baths. We can never get you out of the tub after we get you in it."

"No baff!" Leia yelled, punctuating each word with an exaggerated stomp of her foot.

"Yes, bath. Or no cookies after dinner," Padmé declared.

Luke's expression of misery only deepened at this announcement. "No," he moaned, burying his dirty face in her dress.

"You're mean!" Leia accused.

"You're dirty and you need a bath," Padmé countered smoothly.

Leia fixed her with a particularly ugly look before storming off to the refresher without a word, so wrapped up in her own childish fury that she failed to notice the strange man barely a foot away from her.

_For such a tall man, Anakin can sure blend into the scenery when he wants to,_ Padmé marvel with just a tinge of envy. "Come on, Luke, you're getting Mommy's dress all dirty," Padmé sighed, carefully prying her filthy little boy out of the folds of her dress. "Let's go get you cleaned up so you can have your cookie after dinner."

"Okay," Luke sniffled, still distressed at the thought of bathing.

And then, just as she was getting Luke caught up with his sister, it happened. The little boy glanced up as he crossed the threshold from the mudroom into the hallway and caught sight of Anakin standing there. While Anakin greeted his son with a weak smile of amused affection, Luke greeted his father with opened-mouthed shock and more than a little fear. Luke had always been a quiet, shy boy, and the sight of a towering man like Anakin in his house was just too much for the boy to handle all at once.

Padmé tried to hurry Luke along, but the damage was done. Anakin's smile immediately died upon seeing (and probably sensing) his son's fear of him. She wanted to reassure Anakin, tell him that Luke behaved this way with all the people he saw as strangers, but if she stopped, Luke could start panicking. Thankfully, as she hustled Luke down the hall, Sabé stepped up.

"Don't worry Anakin," she heard her old friend sigh, "Luke's always afraid of new people, especially men. I think that Typho even scares him sometimes, and Luke's known him his whole life."

"I see," was Anakin's barely audible response. "I think…I think I'll go catch up with Obi-Wan."

She slowed long enough to hear the side door open and close as Anakin retreated outside. And then barely a minute later, the rain that had been threatening all morning finally broke into the usual tropical downpour. Padmé sighed and herded a wide-eyed Luke into the refresher where his sister waited in sullen silence.

_Poor Anakin, _she sighed as she started the bathwater. _Your children will love you…when they know you. I'm sure of it. They're too much like you not to._


	25. 24: When It Rains, It Pours

**Note**: Yeah, sorry I took so long. And I apologize in advance if I ever take so long to update this again. So now, enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 24  
**_When It Rains, It Pours_

Of course a few minutes after Anakin trudged outside the sky opened up and it poured rain. As the warm rain ran over him, he mused how this change in weather was a lot like the luck he had been experiencing lately. If Obi-Wan was around to hear him, his former Master would've scolded him that there was no such thing as luck.

_This is just great,_ Anakin sighed. _First I get blind-sided with Padmé being alive and all, then I run into Obi-Wan, and then I get surprised with a two-for-one deal in the offspring department, **and then** one of them completely ignores me and the other is scared to death of me. So what's next? What else is there to sneak up on me? What else can go wrong?_

"Wonderful weather we're having, eh?" Obi-Wan chuckled, trotting back towards the castle through the rain with his coat pulled over his head.

"Yeah," Anakin chuckled weakly with a wan smile, "remind you of anyplace?"

"All too well," Obi-Wan sighed and gave Anakin a speculative look. _(Something wrong?)_

_(Ask me again later.)_ Anakin's eyes fell on Zett who was huddled down at Obi-Wan's side. The poor kid looked very much like a drowned womp rat. Well, what he imagined a womp rat would look like if it ever was in a situation where it would drown. "Hey kid, did you get to see much?"

"Not really," Zett shrugged. "Can we go inside now?"

"Of course," Anakin nodded and led the way back to the little mud room. _Not that I really want to go back inside…_

The little room was empty now and the enormous house was deceptively silent. Anakin wrung out his sopping wet clothes and toweled off his dripping boots. Then he helped Zett dry off as much as he could. He briefly thought of helping Obi-Wan, seeing as his former Master was starting to get old, but he just didn't feel up to cracking a joke at the moment.

Trudging back through the house, Anakin found his way back into the kitchen and slumped down into a chair. In a few short minutes, a steaming mug of tea was waiting at his right hand, courtesy of Obi-Wan. Anakin gratefully took it and sipped at it and waited for the chill dampness of his clothes to fade.

"Hey, Master?" Zett spoke up after a few minutes. "Are you okay?"

"I…I don't know," Anakin sighed wearily and clutched at his mug with both hands.

"You don't know?" Zett frowned, confused and rather worried.

"Give me a few days," Anakin snorted. "I think I'll have everything figured out by then."

"Okay," Zett agreed dubiously.

Before silence could properly fall in the kitchen, an electronic squeal heralded the sudden arrival of a hovering blue and yellow sphere. The small droid zipped around the kitchen a few times before flitting away with another ecstatic wail. Listening after it, it sounded like the spherical robot bounced off a wall somewhere as it continued to speed around.

"Anakin, that thing is insane," Obi-Wan declared after a minute.

"Uh…I wouldn't say _insane_," Anakin replied slowly. "I prefer to think of him as eccentric."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "It's insane."

"What was it?" Zett asked.

"That was Anakin's pet hovercam droid," Obi-Wan answered.

"Orbie isn't a pet," Anakin muttered. "Pets are living things, not droids."

"Fine, a pet project, then," Obi-Wan shrugged.

"Master Anakin, if that droid belongs to you, why is it here already?" Zett inquired.

"Near the end of the war, when the new Eta-2's came out, Padmé allowed me to use her Artoo unit, so I left Orbie with her as collateral and never took him back," Anakin explained.

"Oh." Zett glanced around the kitchen before coming up with another question. "What about that alien that we saw?"

"That was Maré, a little Najiimite orphan that Sabé found on a trip and brought back here," Obi-Wan explained. "She's Force-sensitive, actually."

"Really?" Anakin perked up a bit. "I hadn't noticed." _Not that I'm really up for noticing much right now._

"Yes, I would've tried to bring her to Sanctuary, but I frighten her," Obi-Wan sighed.

"She's afraid of you?" Anakin snorted. _Obi-Wan's not scary at all!_

"The Najiimites are a primitive people," Obi-Wan explained. "They evolved from herd animals and females only interact with mature males during the mating season. Otherwise adult males are seen as threats, especially by children. So she doesn't just fear me, she fears all adults males, regardless of species."

"Ah," Anakin nodded. _So that's why she ran off after seeing us._

"Perhaps if she manages to work past this fear, I might be able to bring her to Sanctuary later," Obi-Wan mused. "She'd probably never be a Knight, but she has the potential to be a Healer."

"Looking to replace me, are you?" Anakin asked, doing his best to bury his worry at the thought.

"Hm? Oh, no, I wouldn't be much of a teacher to a future Healer," Obi-Wan snorted. "But Barriss Offee has Healer training, and last I knew she had no Padawan of her own yet."

"Heh, trying your hand at Master-Padawan match-making, then," Anakin grinned, now doing his best to hide his relief.

"I suppose," Obi-Wan shrugged. Then he cast a speculative look at Zett. "You know, perhaps you could help her."

"Huh?" Zett blinked.

"You're not much larger than Maré is, I don't think she'd be afraid of you. Perhaps you could teach her a few basic Force exercises until she feels more comfortable," Obi-Wan suggested. "Since she's come here, she's lingered about with nothing really to do. I think she'd enjoy a friend close to her age, even if that friend turns out to be a boy."

Zett frowned. "Teach her stuff?"

"Just the very basics, little exercises that the younglings are taught just after they leave the crèche," Obi-Wan explained.

"I don't know," Zett shrugged.

"You don't have to start immediately," Anakin smiled slightly. "Just think about it, okay?"

"Okay," Zett agreed quietly. He fidgeted for a minute. "May I look around?"

"Of course," Anakin grinned.

Zett bowed to them and scampered off to explore his new home.

"So I'm guessing that your meeting with the children didn't go very well?" Obi-Wan asked, now that they were alone.

"Yeah," Anakin sighed. "It—hey wait… You knew!" he accused, shocked. "You knew that there were two of them and you didn't say a word to me about it!"

Obi-Wan laughed at him. "Of course, Anakin! Though, I must admit, I _was_ sworn to secrecy."

Anakin glared at him sourly. "Gee thanks."

"So what happened?" Obi-Wan asked once his chuckles had faded.

"Hmph, well…Leia didn't even notice me; she was too busy throwing a temper tantrum about a bath." Anakin slowly tilted his tea mug and sloshed the dark liquid around. "And Luke was terrified of me."

"Don't worry, Anakin," Obi-Wan advised and patted him on the shoulder. "That sounds almost exactly like what happened when I first met them. They'll warm up to you in time. Be patient."

Anakin propped his chin up with his fist and stared into his cup. "You know I'm bad at being patient."

"It shouldn't take more than a few weeks at most, I think." Obi-Wan chuckled. "Though I must warn you, for those few weeks, you will have a most interesting shadow."

"Oh?" Anakin frowned and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"It happened to me on my first visit here," Obi-Wan smiled. "Wherever I would go, little Luke would follow me. But if I turned around to look at him, or tried to talk to him, he'd scream and run away. The only thing he ever said to me was a 'bye, bye Uncle Ben' on the day that I left."

Anakin couldn't help but feel a little jealous. "He followed you around?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan chuckled. "He and his sister are both Force-sensitive, and as far as I can tell, Luke found me so fascinating because he sensed my strong presence, something he'd only seen before in Leia. I'm sure that he'll find you just as intriguing as he found me," he assured Anakin. "The trick is to pretend he isn't there, and soon he'll grow comfortable with you."

"Ugh," Anakin grumbled. _Patience is evil…_

"I wouldn't worry about Luke and Leia right now, they'll come around. What you should really worry about it getting settled here," Obi-Wan warned. "The situation on Xendiir is…complicated."

"Is there a problem?" Anakin frowned worriedly.

"Padmé will go over the specifics with you soon, I'm sure," Obi-Wan replied. "But you're appearing out of nowhere, so you need to keep your story straight to avoid sparking undue interest from the neighbors."

"Right," Anakin nodded. _Heh, this is just like hiding out in the Jedi Order all over again. Only more complicated…_

"Oh, Ben! I-I didn't know that you were here."

Anakin turned to find Sabé peeking into the kitchen, looking a bit embarrassed. She'd changed out of her muddied dress and freshened up a bit, putting her long brown hair up into a quick bun. Grinning, Anakin gave her a little wave.

"Yeah, he's here too," Anakin smirked. "He gave me a ride to this tropical backwater."

"Oh, of course," Sabé smiled.

"Yes, Anakin roped me into being his chauffer," Obi-Wan shrugged.

"I didn't rope you into anything," Anakin snorted. "You offered and I accepted."

"Well if I hadn't offered, you would've asked," Obi-Wan countered. "So what have you been up to?" he asked Sabé politely.

"Trying and miserably failing to stop the twin terrors from engaging in mud-slinging," Sabé sighed and leaned against a countertop.

"Ah," Obi-Wan nodded knowingly, "I see."

"It's too bad that you didn't arrive early enough to join us," Sabé lamented.

"While I didn't have to contend with mud-wielding toddlers, I did end up getting soaked by the rain," Obi-Wan informed her.

"I see that," Sabé nodded as she looked him over, noting his damp clothes and hair. "Here, let's get you properly dried off."

Sabé then took Obi-Wan by the hand and led him away. Obi-Wan tamely followed after her without any protest. Anakin stared after them, completely unsure of what to think.

_What the hell is going on?_

* * *

Padmé entered her bedroom and dug around in her closet in search of a new dress. After Luke put his muddy hands all over her current dress, and then both twins got soap and water all over her during their bath, she desperately needed to change. Choosing a deep purple dress, she began shedding the dirtied red dress. She was interrupted. 

"Hey Padmé, have you—erk!"

Halfway out of her dress, Padmé snapped her head to the door to find Anakin staring fixedly at the carpet and blushing.

"Sorry, sorry," he squeaked, "I'll-I'll come back later."

"No, it was my fault," Padmé sighed and hurried to pull the purple dress. "I left the door open." _This is what I get for living in a house with two close friends, two droids, two babies, and an alien with no cultural taboo against nudity for too long…_ "What was it that you wanted to ask me?"

"I, uh," he swallowed hard, "I wanted to know if you'd noticed anything… weird …about Obi-Wan and Sabé."

"Weird?" Padmé frowned and worked on the buttons on the back of her dress. "What do you mean?"

"I-I don't know. I just saw them down in the kitchen a while ago and they just seemed…different." Anakin shrugged helplessly and continued to stare nervously at her carpet. "They just started talking, totally seemed to forget that I was there, and then they ditched me without even a good-bye."

"Hmm. I think I know what you're talking about," Padmé sighed. She scowled when she came to what she called 'the evil button'. It was located in the one spot on her back where no matter how she twisted she couldn't quite reach it. "Dratted button," she muttered as she continued her valiant struggle.

Then Anakin was behind her, gently moving her hands aside and fastening the last few buttons himself. "There," he murmured when he finished and stepped away.

"Thanks," she smiled, studiously ignoring the tingle that flickered over her when his fingers accidentally brushed against her skin. "Yes, I've noticed that Sabé and _Ben_ have been acting a bit different. But I wouldn't worry about it. They're fine."

"Oh?" Anakin blinked, confused.

"They're fine," she repeated. "They'll figure it out on their own."

"They'll figure what out on their own?" he frowned.

"Think about it," she suggested, fighting a smile. "Now I've got to rescue Artoo and Typho from babysitting duty. I'll fill you in on everything tonight, after I put the kids to bed, okay?"

"Okay," he nodded, still puzzling over Obi-Wan and Sabé.

Padmé grinned and left him there as she returned to her babies. _Oh Anakin… It never once occurred to you that Sabé and Obi-Wan might be interested in each other in a more than friendly way?_

* * *

By the time night had fallen on Xendiir, the rain finally stopped. Dinner had been a bit on the chaotic side, with Leia constantly playing with her food and Luke staring at the strangers at the table and barely eating anything, but the food had been good. And now that the meal was over and the sun was down, things were quieting down. 

Anakin paced around his new bedroom, trying it on for size. It was about the size of his old room back in the Temple, though the color and decorating scheme was much livelier. He liked it well enough, it was certainly nicer than most of the places he'd been staying in for the past few years.

_It's kind of weird having the room all to myself, though,_ he reflected. It didn't matter that Zett had the room right next door to his; there was still a wall between them. He couldn't see his Padawan anymore, and it felt weird. _Yet another new thing to get used to…_

In one day he'd been slammed by an avalanche of new information and there was more to come. First he'd seen her again, and then there was the shock of there being two children instead of one, and now the mystery of what Obi-Wan and Sabé were up to. If he thought about any of those things too much, his head started to spin.

_And now it's time to cram more things in my head,_ he sighed. Zett had just dropped off, he sensed, and he knew the twins were in bed. Now that the time Padmé had specified had come, it was time for him to go see her. And hopefully this time she'd be fully clothed.

He flushed again at that particular memory. _Note to self: never just walk into her room again, especially if she's been in recent, close contact with dirty little children._

Shaking his head to clear it, he left his room and walked down the hall to Padmé's room. The door was closed this time and he gratefully knocked on it. A minute later she opened the door for him in a bathrobe and silver nightgown that really seemed to cling to her skin.

"Hi," he grinned weakly. _Don't look at that, look at her face._

"Hi," she smiled, "come in."

Shoving back his anxiety, he stepped inside and took a seat on the edge of her bed. "So…"

Padmé shut the door and walked over to a small chest on her dresser, next to her mirror. "Let's get started then, shall we?"

_She's nervous,_ he sensed, surprised. _What's **she** got to be nervous about?_ "So what's first?"

She lifted the lid and started to rummage around. From all the clinking metallic sounds, he guessed that the small chest was her jewelry box. "Before I came to Xendiir, Master Yoda sent me to the medical center of Polis Massa to give birth to the twins. To while away my time there, I worked with Sabé and Typho to build up our new identities, our new lives. I did everything I could to make sure that, wherever we went, we wouldn't stand out. I made sure that our covers were as above reproach as possible."

Padmé found whatever she was looking for in her jewelry chest and turned around to face him, though her eyes didn't meet his. "In every Human culture that I know of, it's not exactly smiled upon for a woman to have children out of wedlock. Most planets do accept it, they won't persecute any woman in that situation, but people notice that and they remember it. So when I reinvented myself on Polis Massa, I went from Padmé Amidala Naberrie the single Senator of Naboo, to…Padmé Skywalker the married mother of two from Corellia."

Anakin swore his heart skipped a beat or two when she said that. _She took my name. So…that means…_

"I know I didn't ask you first about this, and I'm sorry, but it made perfect sense at the time. The name Anakin Skywalker has no official ties to the Jedi Order, and your early years on Tatooine, while not pleasant, are relatively safe. And when you eventually came across me, if there was any doubt as your relationship to me, I could prove that you were the father of my children with a simple blood test." She finally looked into his eyes. "If you're angry with me for pulling you into this position without consulting you first, I completely understand."

He almost laughed at her then. But he didn't. Laughing at her would only hurt her feelings. "Why would I be mad?"

She gaped at him. "I…I forged a stack of papers and lied to all the neighbors, saying that you're my husband. And now that you're here, I have to ask you to fulfill that role that I made for you without asking. I would be a little upset if I were in your position."

"Well, I'm not." He got up from the bed and walked over to stand before her. "I'd be mad if I despised you, which I don't. I like you. You're my friend and the-the mother of my children. I'm not mad at all." He gently grasped her upper arms and wished he felt brave enough to hug her. "I'm honored that you chose my name. I was actually expecting you to make me change my name to something else."

"Ani," she breathed. "I…well, I guess the only thing left…"

She opened her hand to reveal a pair of rings resting on her palm. They were both pale silver, almost a metallic sort of white. One was thin and small and the other was larger and the band was wider. There were no markings or inscriptions of any kind on them. A pair of matching wedding bands.

Padmé picked up the larger ring and rolled it nervously between her fingers. "I don't know if it will fit; I had to guess at the size."

"Well let's find out," he grinned and held out his left hand to her.

Weakly grinning back, she took his hand and slowly slipped the band on his ring finger. "It's too loose," she sighed.

"Not by much," he shrugged. "It's shouldn't be too hard to fix."

"No, it shouldn't be; especially since I know the local jeweler." Padmé smiled up at him. "He's a nice old man and he'll keep it quiet, even though it'll break his heart to resize my husbands ring. I'll take you tomorrow afternoon."

He couldn't help but blush at being called her husband. "Do I get to keep it until then?"

"Of course," she giggled a little.

She moved to put on the other ring, but he stopped her. "Allow me," he whispered and slipped the band over her finger for her.

"Thank you," she whispered back.

He made the mistake of looking into her eyes then. They were dark and beautiful and he couldn't look away. It was like they were magnetic and he felt himself being drawn in. He could almost taste—

"Anakin."

Blinking, he nervously pulled away. "S-sorry. I…I'm going to bed now." _What was I doing? _

"No, wait," she mumbled nervously. "We're not finished yet. We didn't go over the details of the cover story."

Anakin swallowed hard and shuffled over the edge of the bed. "Alright."

Padmé hesitated before sitting down beside him. "Well…well what I worked out for your cover is…"


	26. 25: Shopping Spree

**Chapter 25  
**_Shopping Spree_

Padmé nervously chewed at her lip the next morning as she put her hair into a simply braid. Last night had been…interesting…to say the least. She'd spent a few hours with Anakin, working out the details of his new background and working out how to explain away Zett's presence. It had been productive, but awkward.

_He was going to kiss me,_ she remembered. And it wasn't going to be a chaste kiss between friends. No, she saw it in his intense blue eyes. Just thinking about what she'd seen in his burning gaze and felt from his close proximity was enough to make her blush.

She knew that he'd felt something for her. When they'd first met on Tatooine years ago, it had been quite clear to her that he'd been childishly smitten with her. And when he reentered her life as a strange Jedi, he had obviously felt something for her; the twins were tangible proof that. Intellectually, she had understood that he felt something strong for her. But to see the real depth of it with her own eyes now that he didn't feel held back by the restrictions of the Jedi and his own lies…it was almost frightening.

Her fingers started to shake a bit as she tied off her braid. _Get a hold of yourself! Anakin knows how to control himself. Nothing is going to happen. I don't need anymore babies._

Satisfied with the state of her hair, she peeked in on the still sleeping twins before heading downstairs to the kitchen. Typho and Sabé were already down there, eating breakfast. Padmé gladly joined them.

"So how did last night's conference go?" Sabé asked curiously as Padmé put her plate together.

"It went well," Padmé replied vaguely. "I think we got pretty much everything covered."

"So what sort of story did you come up with for Anakin's apprentice?" Typho inquired.

"The story is that Anakin was friends with Zett's family and when they were killed, he took Zett under his wing. Now we'll be his legal guardians and we'll get him into school by next week at the latest." Padmé sipped at her juice and thought for a moment. "We won't make him change his last name to Skywalker; Anakin didn't think he'd be comfortable with that. Instead, he'll go by Zett Jukassa Skamini."

"Ah," Typho nodded as he committed this new information to memory.

"Skamini?" Sabé tilted her heard curiously.

"Apparently he was born Warpoc Skamini, but when his parents sent him to the Jedi, they requested that he be renamed, so he was raised as Zett Jukassa," Padmé explained.

"Oh," Sabé murmured. "Why did they want his name changed?"

"I don't know," Padmé shrugged. "Whatever their reason was, it died with them. The poor boy was an orphan in every sense until Anakin found him."

"Good morning," Obi-Wan greeted as he entered the kitchen to catch some breakfast.

"Good morning, Ben," Sabé grinned cheerfully. "Did you sleep well?"

"Very well, thank you," Obi-Wan smiled as he settled himself at the table. "Anakin hasn't come down yet?" he asked after scanning the people assembled at the table.

"No he hasn't," Typho confirmed.

Obi-Wan looked away thoughtfully for a moment before sighing. "He's still asleep."

Padmé glanced out the window to see that the sun had barely crested the horizon. "I guess he's not an early morning person."

"He can get up early if he tries," Obi-Wan replied, "but he usually isn't terribly pleasant to be around until he's had a shower and some tea or caf."

"Well he's going to have to get used to early mornings," Typho commented, "it's the only time that there's any peace around here."

"He'll learn that soon enough," Obi-Wan smirked.

They settled into a comfortable silence as they enjoyed their meal. Barely five minutes later, Zett arrived in his plain, worn pajamas. The boy didn't look particularly awake and only focused on eating. All the adults left him alone.

When Obi-Wan finished and disposed of his dishes in the sink, he strode purposefully from the kitchen with some mission clearly in mind. Padmé watched him go and wondered just what he was up to. A short while later, there was a faint thud from elsewhere in the house. And after that, Obi-Wan cheerfully returned with a sleepy and sulky Anakin in tow.

Padmé had to stifle a giggle as Anakin collapsed into one of the last free seats at the table. His eyes were barely open, his hair was an absolute mess, and he wore nothing more than a pair of shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. That combined with the disgruntled looks he kept shooting Obi-Wan quite clearly revealed what had happened.

"Did you enjoy your wake-up call?" Padmé grinned, somehow managing to hold back her laughter.

Anakin grunted and poured himself a cup of caf.

"That would be a no," Obi-Wan chuckled.

Anakin growled but added nothing further, instead concentrating on having some breakfast.

Padmé shook her head at him and started work on some of the dirty dishes. _Publicly they may have been distinguished Jedi, but in private they're just a pair of overgrown boys. Who would've thought…?_

* * *

Zett shifted anxiously in the grand foyer of the castle as Master Kenobi said his good-byes. Breakfast had ended several hours ago and now everyone was up. And now it seemed that Master Kenobi had to move on. Now everyone was assembled to see him off. Even the droids were present.

"I wish you could stay longer," Lady Padmé sighed as she hugged him.

"So do I," Master Kenobi admitted.

"Take care of yourself," Captain Typho advised with a firm handshake.

"I will," Master Kenobi promised.

"You'd better," Miss Sabé threatened as she gave him a fierce hug.

"You know I will," Master Kenobi chuckled fondly as he returned the embrace.

"Good," she nodded and stepped away.

"You two behave now," Master Kenobi cautioned the droids, Master Anakin's odd hovercam droid and Lady Padmé's blue-trimmed Astromech, R2-D2.

Both droids apparently chirped their assents, but it was hard for Zett to tell for sure.

Master Kenobi then turned his attention to Master Anakin's children. "And you two, you behave for Captain Typho, Aunt Sabé, and your Mother and Father while I'm away."

The girl pouted and said nothing, but she scampered over and hugged his leg before retreating to Lady Padmé's side.

The boy simply looked sad as he followed his sister's example in hugging Master Kenobi's leg. "Bye-bye Unca Ben," the child mumbled and withdrew to the safety of his mother's shadow.

Master Anakin looked rather bothered at his son's acknowledgement of Master Kenobi since the little boy was terrified of him, but he shrugged that off as a proper Jedi should to farewell his former Master. "Come back and visit as often as you can," Master Anakin demanded as he hugged Master Kenobi.

"I always do," Master Kenobi assured him. And then he turned his focus down on Zett. "You take care of your Master for me," he instructed. "Keep him out of trouble while I'm gone."

Zett blinked in confusion, but agreed anyway. "Yes, sir."

"Very good," Master Kenobi smiled. "I will return as soon as I can," he promised them all. And then after a bow, he was gone.

The small crowd in the foyer dispersed then. The droids went off to do whatever it was that they did all day. Captain Typho assisted Miss Sabé in steering the children back to their playroom where they could be safely contained until it was time for lunch and their afternoon nap. And Lady Padmé invited Master Anakin back into the kitchen where they would talk some more.

Feeling rather forgotten, Zett slunk off to further explore the vast castle. It wasn't anywhere near the size of the Temple, but for a house it was really big. He'd seen a lot of it the day before, but it couldn't hurt to look again. At least it was something to do.

After a little aimless wandering, he came to an impressive pair of double doors that he'd been too intimidated to open before. His curiosity conquered his nerves this time around and he yanked on the heavy doors to find out what was on the other side. What he found left his jaw hanging open.

The room was enormous; smaller than some of the rooms in the Temple, but something much larger than he'd ever expected to find in a private residence. And it was certainly prettier than most rooms in the Temple. The floor was slick, shiny marble and covered in elaborate designs. The windows were very tall and the clear glass was etched with flowery patterns. And several chandeliers hung from the high, vaulted ceiling, which was covered in painted murals of beautiful natural landscapes.

"Wow," Zett breathed as he slowly wandered into the vast room. _What is this place?_

"In here you are not supposed to be," a soft voice cut in, interrupting his awe.

"Huh?" Zett whirled around to find the alien from yesterday nervously peering into the room from the doorway.

"In here you are not supposed to be," she repeated.

"You talk like Master Yoda," Zett observed as he walked back to the door.

"Know Master Yoda Maré does not," she frowned.

_Or maybe not._ _Master Yoda never refers to himself in the third person._ "What room is this?" he asked curiously.

"Ballroom," Maré answered after a moment's thought.

_So this room is for parties and dancing._ "Oh," Zett nodded and slipped out into the hall. _I guess Lady Padmé doesn't want the children playing in here._ With a grunt, he shoved the heavy door closed. "There."

Now that he was up close with the alien girl, he took a moment to study her. She was actually taller than him, but she slumped to make herself shorter and so she was roughly the same height as him. Since he was unfamiliar with her species, he had no way of knowing how old she was or if there was anything special about her appearance. And she wore simple, loose clothes that did nothing to hamper her long arms and legs.

Recalling Master Kenobi and Master Anakin's hope that he could make friends with the shy alien, he decided to give it a try. "Hey, you know your way around this place. Could you show me around?"

Maré eyed him warily for a moment before making her choice. "Maré would be honored to show…"

"Zett," he supplied.

"…Zett around," she finished with a submissive gesture.

"Thanks," Zett smiled slightly. "Lead the way."

* * *

Anakin sat in a chair surrounded by shopping bags and mentally reviewed the course of events that had led him to his current situation.

After Obi-Wan had left, Padmé had stolen him away to fill his head with even more information. She spent most of the time before lunch telling him all sorts of things about the neighbors and other locals that he was bound to run into at some point. He tried to listen, he really did, but must of what she said went in one ear and out the other without sticking.

Then it was lunch time. He helped Padmé and Sabé throw together some sandwiches and things to eat, and then it was time to round everyone up. Typho and Zett were easy enough to get to the table, but the twins were not.

The toddlers were hungry, but they despised their highchairs with a passion. They wiggled and squirmed and wailed as they were locked into them so that they could consume their meal. Anakin didn't dare touch Luke, the boy kept his wide blue eyes nervously fixed on him and Anakin feared that if he got too close or looked too long at the boy that Luke would scream, as Obi-Wan claimed he would. But Leia came with no such warning and so he made an attempt to help with her.

Leia was much more outspoken of her hatred of the highchair than her brother and she shrieked mercilessly when Typho tried to put her in it. Anakin moved in to assist the one-eyed security man and found himself the recipient of an angry glare. It seemed that Leia ignored strange people in her house unless they got in her way, and now that he had done that, she decided that she didn't like him. And she let him know it.

Throughout the course of lunch, when she wasn't eating or messily playing with her food, she repeatedly declared that she didn't like him. She called him a meanie when he tried to stop her from playing with her little pieces of fruit. And she even smacked at him when he brought his hands near her.

He knew he shouldn't take her hurtful words and actions seriously. She was two years old and he was just a strange man to her. Leia was too young to know or care how other people took her words and behavior. Her world centered completely on herself and what she wanted, nothing else.

But it all still stung. By the time that lunch was over, when the twins would be put down for their midday naps, he stayed away. Partly because Luke was frightened of him, and partly because Leia's abuse had him too depressed to risk any more from her. So as they were carried upstairs, he retreated to the front steps of the castle and waited for Padmé to take him into town to get his ring resized.

An hour later, Padmé finally managed to get the twins asleep and brought him to her speeder. As he drove her into town, she muttered a rant about how she dearly wished that the twins had never learned how to use the word "no" themselves. Life would be so much easier if they were obedient little babies.

Getting his ring resized was an entirely painless affair. As Padmé had told him, she knew the local jeweler and the squat little man did his best to adjust the ring as quickly as possible. The jeweler, Mr. Mince, was indeed rather sad to meet "Miss Padmé's" husband, but he promised to keep their visit quiet when she asked him to.

While the ring was being fixed, Padmé dragged him to several clothing stores in town to buy him new clothes. Anakin knew that his grubby spacer clothes probably wouldn't cut it in this much fancier society, but he would've liked to space his shopping out a bit. But it seemed that Padmé was determined to get him an entire new wardrobe today, and he bowed to her wishes.

When he swore that he couldn't possibly carry another bag, Padmé finally agreed that they were done and brought him back to the jewelry shop. She slipped in to get his ring and pay the man, and returned moments later to slip the ring on his finger. Now that his ring fit, and now that he had more clothes than he could ever need, it was time to head back.

But on their way to the place where they'd parked the speeder, there was a specialty dress shop. Displayed in the window were all new dress designs. They weren't the ordinary, everyday dresses, but fancy party gowns. Padmé caught sight of the display and was captured by it. Seeing her delight and longing, Anakin went against his better judgment and encouraged her to go in if she wanted to.

And now here he was, sitting in a chair surrounded by shopping bags and waiting for Padmé to finish trying on dresses. _It could be worse,_ Anakin decided. _She could've brought Zett with us and shopped for new clothes for him too. _As it was, he already felt sorry for his Padawan. Before he was enrolled in school, Padmé would take him on a shopping spree as well.

_I hope she doesn't decide to buy too much here,_ Anakin sighed. _I can't carry anymore stuff. Whatever she buys here, she carries away._

The door to the dressing room creaked open and Anakin looked up to see Padmé slip out to show off one of her selections to him. This particular dress was an emerald shade of green covered in elaborate silver embroidery. It was form-fitting with a low-cut neckline and sleeves that stopped at her elbows and flared out with excess fabric that hung halfway down to the ground. The gown was much fancier than the simple dresses that she wore around the children. This was more like what he was used to seeing her in during her years as Senator. She took his breath away.

"Miss Padmé you are stunning."

Anakin flinched and turned around in his seat to find a strange man standing nearby, openly admiring Padmé. The man was somewhere between Padmé and himself in height, dark-haired, dark-eyed, pale-skinned, and rather handsome. He was also well-dressed in fine materials with a dark cape. The mysterious man could've stepped right out of a holo-soap in the role of the gorgeous new guy, come to wreck all the previously stable relationships.

"Mr. Dare," Padmé replied in a clipped tone. "What brings you to Madame Claswickz's Shop?"

_So this is the infamous Vexton Dare,_ Anakin thought darkly and narrowed his eyes at the man. Padmé had told her about Vexton before lunch and that was one of the few things that had stuck in his mind. She had described him as a younger, more determined Senator Vorski, who feared nothing and no one.

"I had come here with you in mind, actually," Vexton smiled. "I thought how wonderful you would look with a dress that matched your exquisite beauty and intended to find a gift here for you."

Anakin was absolutely disgusted at the man. He could almost hear the servomotors in his right hand whining in protest through his glove as he fisted his hand on the armrest of the chair. The nerve of the man, his arrogance, was astounding.

He was sorely tempted to remove the man from his presence, violently if necessary, but he refrained. Padmé had made him promise not to get into trouble with this man. They weren't to make waves here. Xendiir was a hiding place, a safe place to live, but not be entirely themselves. And he would keep that promise, no matter how much he hated to.

"That's very nice, Mr. Dare, but I can buy my own dresses," Padmé coolly assured him.

"I'm sure that you can," Vexton agreed patronizingly. "But a beautiful woman deserves a beautiful gift every now and then. Let me buy that for you."

He moved forward to take the tag from the dress to the register to buy it, but Padmé dodged his advance. "That isn't necessary, Mr. Dare," Padmé insisted. "I haven't even decided if this is the dress that I want."

"Take your time then," Vexton smiled indulgently. "I have plenty of time. I can wait."

Padmé was frustrated, Anakin could sense, but she held her politician's mask in place so that Vexton was left oblivious to it. "Mr. Dare, I deeply appreciate that you wish to give me a gift, and I thank you, but I have no need for your charity."

"Charity? Oh no, Miss Padmé, this isn't charity!" Vexton snorted. "I only wish to see you happy."

"And I am happy," Padmé informed him. "I have everything that I want."

That wasn't exactly true, Anakin knew. She was in hiding, unable to see her family or return to Naboo. The Republic that she had served and loved was no more. And the galaxy lay under a dreadful shadow, named Darth Sidious. But she herself was still alive, she still had her friends, and her babies, that counted for something.

"I suppose," Vexton mused. "You have the grand Dannarak Castle, your manservant, your cousin, your two beautiful children, that exotic pet…but you have no man to treasure and protect you." He sighed deeply and adopted a sorrowful expression. "Miss Padmé, I hate to say it, but it has been several years since you last saw your husband. If he loves you and is loyal to you as you claim he is, he must be dead by now to not have returned to your side and taken up his responsibilities to you."

Anakin didn't know which part of Vexton's speech to attack first. _Maré_ _is not a pet, she's an intelligent being! And don't you dare speak of my children you filthy Hutt slime! As for her husband…_

Padmé went stiff with fury, but then relaxed and flashed Vexton a smug smile. "Mr. Dare, I thank you for your concern, but I _do_ have everything that I want, my husband included."

Vexton blinked slowly. "I beg your pardon?"

"My husband, Mr. Dare, is sitting right over there," Padmé smiled sweetly and pointed in Anakin's direction.

The rich slime slowly turned and gaped at Anakin, who used all of his willpower to hold in place the politely neutral mask of the Jedi. "That man…is your husband?" Vexton goggled.

"That is correct, Mr. Dare," Padmé nodded seriously.

"But…" Vexton floundered. "He's no more than a vagabond! A drifter! Miss Padmé, you are far too cultured to associate yourself with this poorly-bred scum."

Anakin wanted to kill him then. It would be so easy. All he had to do was bid the Force to wrap around his neck, crush his larynx, and…

"Mr. Dare!" Padmé hissed furiously. "My husband is none of those things! If he was, I would never have had anything to do with him."

"But Miss Padmé!" Vexton protested. "He—"

Padmé swept back into the dressing room. "I believe I'm done shopping for today," she called through the door. "I'll be ready to go in a minute, Anakin."

"All right," Anakin called back and started gathering up the shopping bags.

A minute later, as promised, Padmé stormed out of the dressing room, back in her ordinary dress, with all the dresses she'd picked out tucked under her arm. She rushed around the small shop, putting each gown back where she'd found it. By the time she'd unloaded all the dresses, he had all the bags picked up, and they left the store with Vexton still standing there, gaping like a fish out of water.

Anakin almost had to jog to keep up with her as she strode back to the speeder. He counted himself fortunate that he hadn't dropped any of the many bags during the speedy two block march. While he loaded everything into the back, Padmé sat in the passenger seat and fumed.

"Ugh, that man!" she hissed. "The nerve of him! I have half a mind to write to his father about his atrocious behavior!"

"They why don't you?" Anakin asked as he slipped into the driver's seat.

"Why don't I what?" Padmé blinked as she was pulled out of her venting.

"Write to his father and complain," he replied and started up the engine.

"Because that would only lead to a messy case of he-said, she-said," she sighed and slumped into her seat.

"I guess," he muttered dubiously and steered them onto the road that led back to the castle.

"Well, at least the shock that we gave him ought to keep him away for a few days," she remarked. "But…when he comes back, it'll be with a vengeance."

"Wonderful," he groaned.

"I know," she muttered. "Oh, I know."

"Let's just go home and not worry about him for a while," Anakin suggested with a cheerful grin.

Padmé gave him a grateful smile. "That sounds like a great idea. Let's go home."

Anakin nodded and stepped on the accelerator a little more. "Your wish is my command." _Home…it's nice to have one of those again._


	27. 26: Daddy

**Chapter 26  
**_Daddy_

Padmé carefully plaited Leia's hair while Sabé kept her occupied so the little girl didn't squirm. It was a tag-team effort, and it would probably stay that way for a few more years until Leia learned enough self-control to sit still on her own. So while Sabé chatted with Leia and played tea party, Padmé was artistically arranging coils of tiny braids on Leia's head and securing them gently with pins.

Carefully sliding a few pins covered in glittery pink flowers near her face, Padmé gave Leia's style a quick once over before silently declaring it complete. _Now to keep it looking this nice until the afternoon._ _That's the real challenge…_

"All done, sweetie," Padmé announced cheerfully.

"Yay!" Leia squealed in delight. "Is my hair prewty, Mommy?"

"Yes, it's very pretty," Padmé smiled.

"See my prewty hair, Auntie Sabé?" Leia squealed, hopping up from her tiny tea table and spinning around so Sabé could see it.

"Very pretty," Sabé grinned.

"Why don't we go show Daddy your pretty hair?" Padmé suggested hopefully.

Leia stared up at her with confusion in her wide brown eyes. "No."

Padmé swallowed a disappointed sigh and nodded. "Okay, sweetie, let's go get ready to go into town."

When Anakin and Zett had appeared just about a week ago, Leia had taken their arrival in stride, just as she had taken Maré's suddenly appearance much earlier. She was completely unfazed by the two new strangers in her house, quite unlike her brother. However, accepting their presence didn't mean that she accepted them.

As far as Padmé could tell, Leia defined her family as: Mommy, Auntie Sabé, Cap'n Typho, and Luke. That was it. Maré was something like a pet, or a friendly wild animal. And Zett and Anakin were just like the neighbors only they lived in her house; they were just other people, nothing more.

Padmé had taken great pains to always call Anakin "Daddy" around Leia and her brother. It was how she formally introduced them. But she didn't think that either of them, especially Leia, really grasped who he was. The twins were just too young to make the leap from observing the neighbor children calling their fathers "Daddy" and realizing that their "Daddy" was their father. At this point, they probably just thought that Anakin's name was Daddy, and not his title.

And despite Padmé's attempts to foster a friendly relationship between her children and Anakin, Luke was still leery of him and Leia was utterly indifferent to him. She allowed him to play with her, but she would never seek him out to play. She accepted his praise and friendly comments, but she would never try to impress him or show off to him. As far as Leia was concerned, Anakin was just a friend of Mommy's; not someone she would bother with.

Leia's indifference of him hurt Anakin about as much as Luke's fear did. He so badly wanted his children to accept him, but his son was frightened of him and his daughter didn't particularly care for him. Leia was polite enough to him most times. But when she was in one of her "I-hate-everybody" moods, she would tear into Anakin almost as badly as she would tear into her own mother.

_Leia, Leia, Leia,_ Padmé sighed as she helped the little girl put on her shoes. _What are we going to do with you? Your Daddy adores you so, and you don't even know who he is._

"Hey," Anakin grinned as he caught them at the door. "Going dress shopping?"

"Yes we are," Padmé smiled, "aren't we, Leia?"

"Yes, Mommy," Leia nodded. "I'm gonna get a new dress."

"That's right, sweetie," Padmé nodded. _Because you've ruined or outgrown all your other nice dresses and we're hosting a party today._

"Well you all have fun." Anakin squatted down in front of Leia. "Your hair is very pretty today, Princess. Did Mommy do it for you?"

"Yes," Leia nodded, her cheerful smile fading into a serious look. "Thank you," she said with a clumsy imitation of a curtsy.

"You're welcome," Anakin replied, hiding his disappointment at her formal response. "Now you be good for Mommy and Auntie Sabé," he tapped her nose lightly, "and have fun, okay?"

"Okay," Leia agreed.

"Good." Anakin stood up and took a step back. "Don't bury Typho under too many bags now," he warned Padmé and Sabé.

"We won't," Sabé promised with a grin.

"Don't worry," Padmé smirked and took Leia by the hand. "Come on, sweetie, let's go."

"Okay, Mommy," Leia smiled and cheerfully toddled after her mother.

Padmé again buried her disappointment and strapped Leia into her child seat in the back of the speeder. Anakin tried so hard, but Leia just didn't seem to notice. Young children couldn't be rushed, though, and so all they could do was keep doing what they were doing and hope that the twins would come around.

_I hope they don't take too long…for Anakin's sake._

* * *

Luke stood at the side of his house and played with his ball. It was a nice ball. It was blue and squishy and big and it bounced really good. He liked to kick it into the wall and then chase it down again.

Leia didn't like his ball very much. She thought it was stupid. Leia liked dolls and tea sets much better. Luke thought those girly things were stupid. So they were even.

Sometimes he would play ball with Cap'n Typho. But Cap'n Typho had taken Mommy, Leia, and Auntie Sabé into town to shop. Luke didn't like shopping. It was boring. So he was glad that he didn't have to go.

But now he was lonely. His sister was gone. His Mommy was gone. His Auntie and Cap'n Typho were gone.

Maré and the New Boy were supposed to be watching him, but Luke had taken his ball over to this side of the house and they hadn't noticed. Maré wasn't so bad, he supposed, but she was funny-looking, and she talked funny too. The New Boy was…well, new. Luke wasn't sure what to make of him yet.

And there was the Tall Man.

The Tall Man was tall. Even a little taller than Cap'n Typho! And he was strong-looking. And scary, too, with a funny mark on his face. But…he was shiny.

In the beginning, only Leia was shiny. Then Maré had come back with Auntie Sabé and Uncle Ben. Maré was shiny too, but not like Leia, and not like Uncle Ben. Uncle Ben had been very shiny, and Luke couldn't help but follow him around to try and figure him out. And now…now the Tall Man was shiny too, even more shiny than Uncle Ben, who was the shiniest man ever!

_Leia doesn't like him._ Luke bounced his nice blue ball against the wall and ran to get it. _Leia thinks he's dumb. He keeps calling her "Princess." But her name is Leia. She doesn't care that he's shiny._

Luke held his ball in his hands and stared at it. It was all swirly with different kinds of blues. Light blues, dark blues, all kinds of blues. He really liked his ball.

The Tall Man was inside, watching the Holovision. He'd told the New Boy and Maré to watch him when he'd come outside to play. The Tall Man hadn't looked at him, but Luke felt the Tall Man watching him anyway. Sometimes even when he couldn't see the Tall Man he felt the Tall Man watching him.

There was only one time the Tall Man had really looked at him. That had been the day when the Tall Man had first appeared. The Tall Man had smiled at him, but all he'd seen was a strange man. A big, scary, strange man.

He'd been afraid of the Tall Man. He didn't have time to scream and run away. Mommy dragged him off to take a bath. But he'd been afraid of the Tall Man. And the Tall Man knew it.

_I made the Tall Man sad._ Luke set his ball on the ground and rolled it at the wall. _The Tall Man knew I was scared and it made him sad. Now he doesn't look at me anymore._

Luke walked over to the gray stone wall and picked up his ball. _Leia makes the Tall Man sad too. The Tall Man knows she doesn't like him and it makes him sad. But he keeps looking at her. Because…Leia isn't afraid of the Tall Man._

Luke hugged his ball to his chest. But he couldn't quite do it because his arms were too short. He squeezed it as hard as he could so he could hold it closer.

_I shouldn't be afraid of the Tall Man anymore,_ Luke decided. He wasn't sure why the Tall Man being sad bothered him so much, but it did. It felt terribly wrong for the Tall Man to be sad because of him.

The ball slipped out of his arms and bounced away. Luke made a nasty face at the naughty ball and chased after it. He didn't like it when his ball tried to escape.

The Tall Man wasn't mean. Even if he called Leia "Princess" all the time, he always told her nice things about her hair, her shoes, her dress, and her pictures. The Tall Man smiled at Leia all the time. He wasn't mean at all. So really, there wasn't anything to be scared of.

Luke caught up to his runaway ball and picked it up. A little bit in front of where his ball had been were a pair of shiny black shoes. He followed the shoes, up the legs stuck in them, to the man they belonged to. It was the Bad Man.

The Bad Man was very bad. Nobody liked him. Mommy didn't like him. Auntie Sabé didn't like him. Cap'n Typho didn't like him. The neighbor people didn't like him. Maré ran far away when he came. Leia didn't like him. And Luke was super scared of him.

It felt terrible to be around the Bad Man. The Bad Man was dark and icky and thought bad things about everybody. And the Bad Man thought bad things about Mommy. Not that Luke knew exactly what these bad thoughts were, but he just knew that they were horrible, terrible thoughts.

Luke walked backwards away from the Bad Man. But he couldn't walk backwards so good so he fell over. His blue ball fell out of his hands and rolled away.

"Is your mother here?" the Bad Man asked.

No, Mommy wasn't here. She couldn't come if he called for her. She wouldn't be able to make the Bad Man go away.

"Is your mother here?" the Bad Man said slowly.

Auntie Sabé wasn't here either. And Cap'n Typho was gone too. Not even Leia was here. If Leia was here, she come and yell at the Bad Man until a grown up made him leave.

"Answer me, brat," the Bad Man frowned. "Is your mother here?"

Maré wouldn't come to help him. She knew when the Bad Man was around. She was just as scared of the Bad Man as he was. Maré could just run away faster. The New Boy would go with her, he was sure.

"I know you can talk, brat," the Bad Man growled meanly. "Now answer the question: Is your mother here?"

The Bad Man loomed over him and blocked out part of the sun. The Bad Man was very angry. Luke could feel it. And it made him even more scared. So he screamed.

"Daddy!"

* * *

Everything seemed to be working out. He had a new home and a new cover; one of the best for a fugitive Jedi. He'd been reunited with Padmé and met his children. Zett had just started school and now had a playmate of sorts in the shy alien, Maré.

The only thing that wasn't working out so well was his relationship with his children. Well, actually, a lack of a relationship with his children. Luke was still playing at being his shadow and Leia remained indifferent to him.

It hurt. A lot. He knew it wasn't their fault. He was just a stranger to them. He wasn't their father.

_Patience,_ he reminded himself bitterly. _They'll come around eventually. They just need time. It's barely been a week._

Anakin sank back in the couch and dully watched a swoop bike race beamed in from Taris while he sipped at a glass of cold fruit juice. With Padmé, Sabé, Typho, and Leia gone into town, there wasn't much for him to do. He couldn't watch Luke directly as his son would find his presence disturbing, so he'd delegated the task to Zett and Maré. But he still kept a tiny fraction of his attention on the kid, just in case.

He sat up stiffly when he noticed Luke's rising anxiety. Setting his drink aside, he slowly made his way to a door to the outside. And then he heard a scream.

"Daddy!"

He didn't have any time to really think about the cry. He just ran. In minutes he was outside, around the side of the castle, and staring at Vexton Dare, who was staring down a terrified Luke.

"Shut up, brat!" Vexton snarled. "Just answer the question and I'll leave you alone!"

Luke was too scared of Vexton to hear the question. He just wanted to get away. The boy scrambled to his feet and tried to run away.

"Daddy!"

Anakin stormed over to intercede.

But before he could get there, Vexton made a mistake. The young man let his temper get the best of him and he made a wild grab for Luke, intending to somehow force the child into answering his question. Anakin took a slight risk and drew on the Force to boost his speed.

Before Vexton could lay a finger on his son, Anakin scooped the boy up and held the child away from the man, keeping himself angled as a buffer between him and the unpleasant man.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Dare?" Anakin asked sharply.

One of Vexton's few talents was the ability reclaim his cool composure in an instant. "No," he smiled tightly, "no problem."

It was a pathetically blatant lie, but he let it pass. He had to. Padmé didn't want any trouble here. And offending Vexton Dare was guaranteed to bring about a great deal of ugly trouble.

"What was your question, Mr. Dare?" Anakin inquired, not that he particularly wanted to.

"I was curious to see if Miss Padmé was around." Vexton gave an oily smile that turned Anakin's stomach.

"I'm sorry" – _no I'm not! – _"but my wife is unavailable." Anakin felt a little thrill at getting to call Padmé his wife. "May I take a message?"

"Oh, I shall wait for her then," Vexton resolved.

"She could be gone for hours," Anakin warned. "It would be best if you came back later during the party to conduct your business with her then."

"I was hoping to catch her before the party to discuss some private matters," Vexton sniffed. "I'll wait for her."

"Padmé is the hostess of this party; she'll be quite busy setting things up. It would really be best if you waited until later, perhaps after the party, to discuss this business," Anakin advised. _What would really be best is if you went away and never came back!_

"I'm sorry, sir." Vexton snorted. "But what I have to say is terribly important and will have bearing on the subject of this party. It is essential that I speak with Miss Padmé as soon as possible, _before_ the party."

"If it is so important, leave a message with me, and she will get back to you as soon as possible," Anakin promised. _Tell me and leave, dammit!_

"I said these matters are _private_," Vexton frowned. "They are for her ears, and her ears alone."

Anakin dearly wanted to sock the pompous ass in the mouth and break his jaw, but he refrained. Not only would that cause trouble, but he was holding Luke and wasn't about to expose him to such a terrible example of manners. Padmé would be most displeased with him if he did.

"Mr. Dare, my wife and I keep no secrets from each other," Anakin informed him. "What you tell her will come to me anyway."

Vexton studied Anakin for a moment, and then he burst out laughing. Anakin stared back at him as if he was insane. And Luke, who had been very quiet and still up to this point, buried his face into Anakin's shoulder and whimpered a little.

"Did I say anything particularly funny, Mr. Dare?" Anakin asked when Vexton had calmed down a little.

"No, not really," Vexton chuckled. "Do have Miss Padmé call me as soon as possible, as what I have to say is of dire importance." He started to walk off back to his incredibly expensive sport speeder. "I would hate to have Miss Padmé embarrass herself at her party."

"I will. Have a good day, Mr. Dare." Anakin replied tensely. _Rot in hell, bastard!_

When Vexton left, he forced himself to relax and went to go see why Luke had been left unattended. Wandering back into the expansive, he looked around to see that Zett and his timid alien companion were nowhere in sight. He frowned and scratched at his hair.

"Where did they go?"

* * *

Luke held very still in the Tall Man's arm. The Tall Man held him up with just _one arm_. Cap'n Typho did that sometimes, but not so much lately. Cap'n Typho said that he was getting too big and heavy for that.

The Tall Man had made the Bad Man go away. He liked that a lot. And now he knew that the Tall Man hated the Bad Man as much as Mommy and Auntie Sabé and Cap'n Typho and Leia did.

"Where did they go?" he heard the Tall Man ask.

The Tall Man had a deep voice, like Cap'n Typho's, only different. Since he was held up to the Tall Man's chest, he could feel the Tall Man's voice hum when he talked. Luke liked that too.

"Maré runs away when da Bad Man comes," Luke told the Tall Man.

"Does she?" the Tall Man grumbled, still looking around at the trees. "Where does she run?"

"Away," Luke shrugged and rested his cheek on the Tall Man's shoulder. "Now dat da Bad Man's gone, she'll come back."

"Okay," the Tall Man sighed. "Do you want to stay outside, or do you want to come inside now?"

Luke wasn't sure where he wanted to be exactly, only that it was somewhere far away from the Bad Man. "I wanna go wiff you."

"Oh?" The Tall Man sounded very surprised. "Well," he said after a minute, "I think it's going to rain, so let's get your ball and go inside."

"Okay," Luke agreed.

The Tall Man walked back to Luke's ball and picked it up with one hand. Luke was amazed. Cap'n Typho couldn't do that! Then the Tall Man tucked the ball under his arm and carried Luke inside the house with him.

Luke picked his head up off the Tall Man's shoulder when he was brought into the den where the Holovision was. There were pictures of really fast flying bikes on the screen. The flying bikes were darting around lots and lots of really tall buildings. More buildings than he'd ever seen in his life.

"Whas dat?" Luke pointed.

"That's a swoop bike race on Taris," the Tall Man said and sat down on the couch and put Luke in his lap.

"Wow," Luke breathed and stared at the screen with big eyes. "Dohes bikes go fast!"

"Yes, they do," the Tall Man chuckled.

It was a nice laugh. Not a mean laugh like the Bad Man had laughed. Luke liked the Tall Man's laugh.

"Can I wide one?"

"No, Luke," the Tall Man said. "Swoop bikes are for grown-ups only. They're too dangerous for little boys. When you grow up, you can ride one."

"Aww." Luke crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. _That's no fun!_

"Don't worry about it," the Tall Man smiled.

Then the Tall Man did something amazing. He made the shiny-ness that sparkled around him curl un-see-ably around Luke like a warm, fuzzy blanket. It felt nice and Luke snuggled into the feeling, resting his back against the Tall Man's stomach.

Luke looked up to see the Tall Man looking down at him. There was a nice sparkle in his blue eyes. The same kind of sparkle that he saw in Mommy's eyes when she looked at him. It made him feel all nice and happy inside.

The Tall Man had blue eyes like he did. Nobody else ever had blue eyes like him before. Mommy didn't have blue eyes. Leia didn't have blue eyes. Cap'n Typho didn't have a blue eye. Auntie Sabé didn't have blue eyes. Just him…and now the Tall Man too.

Feeling very good, Luke went back to watching the super fast swoop bikes zip around buildings on the Holovision screen. He wouldn't be afraid of the Tall Man anymore. Being afraid of him was silly. The Tall Man was very good. The Tall Man was…

…_Daddy._

* * *

After a good hour and a half of shopping for supplies and dresses, Padmé finally got her group back to the castle. All the adults strained under piles of bags and a few boxes while little Leia skipped on ahead, bursting with excitement over her new dresses and shoes. Sabé, the least burdened of them all, managed to get the front door open, and they all hurried inside before something was dropped.

Typho took charge of all the food items and took them to the kitchen. Sabé took most of the clothes up to the proper closets. And Padmé took Leia up to get her changed into her new pink party dress.

Leia was so excited for the up-coming party, it was almost impossible to keep the girl still enough to get her into her clothes. Padmé had found an adorable pink dress with all the ruffles and lace that Leia liked. And then she'd found the perfect little pink shoes to go with it, and Leia had almost been beside herself with childish glee.

"Do I look pwetty, Mommy?" Leia squealed.

"You look very pretty, sweetie," Padmé smiled. "Now remember, you don't want to get your pretty, brand-new dress all dirty before the party, so be careful. No playing in dirty places and no playing outside until the party, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy." Leia promised solemnly.

"Good." Padmé kissed her forehead. "Why don't we go show everybody your new dress?"

"Okay!" Leia giggled.

Padmé led Leia around the castle to show off her new outfit to everyone. Sabé and Typho – who had already seen it when Leia tried it on in the store – still ooh-ed and aww-ed when she modeled her new outfit for them. Zett and Maré – who seemed unusually subdued when she found them – expressed some appreciation for Leia's new dress, though it sounded a bit forced. Padmé didn't ponder over it much and had Leia bring her to her brother.

It was a talent that the twins had always had. No matter how far she separated the two of them, they always knew where the other one was. If Leia was in town with Sabé, she could ask Luke to point to where his sister was, and he would, without any hesitation. And if she was the one with Leia down by the lake, she could ask Leia the same thing and she would unerringly point to wherever her brother was. So it was common practice to have one twin find the other instead of wasting time in an unaided hunt.

To her great surprise, Luke was in the den, sitting in Anakin's lap. Her little boy lay up against his father, sleepily watching some sporting event that Anakin had turned on. And Anakin looked supremely pleased with this turn of events as he watched the two sports teams clash over a ball. Padmé almost felt like crying in relief. But Leia seemed almost perturbed by her brother's behavior.

She hurried up to Luke and yanked on his leg. "Lukie, Lukie! Come look at my new dress!"

Luke frowned down at his sister and moved his leg out of her reach. "It's vewy nice," he told her and then when back to watching the screen.

Leia stomped her new pink shoe furiously. "You can't see it up dere!" she yelled. "Come down here!"

"Leia!" Padmé scolded. "Use your inside voice!"

"I don't wanna look at your dress," Luke scowled. "Go 'way!"

Leia looked about ready to explode into a massive temper tantrum, but Anakin quickly interceded. "Now Luke, your sister just wants to show off her pretty new dress. Why don't you go with her? It's about time that you got dressed for the party too."

"I don't wanna!" Luke moaned.

"I know," Anakin sighed. "I don't want to get all dressed up either, but I'm going to have to, too. Now go with your sister, I have to talk to Mommy, okay?"

"Okay," Luke pouted and allowed Anakin to remove him from his lap and set him on the floor.

As soon as Anakin let go of Luke, Leia grabbed his arm and dragged him away; deaf to her brother's protests. Anakin looked rather depressed at seeing his son being hustled away by his daughter. Padmé felt like pulling out her hair in frustration at Leia's attitude.

"I think Leia thinks that you're trying to steal her brother away from her," Padmé sighed and sat down on the couch beside him.

"I'm not," Anakin frowned.

"Leia's incredibly stubborn, but she'll come around eventually," Padmé assured him. "I know she will. It'll just take more time."

Anakin merely nodded and slumped down lower on the couch.

"At least Luke's on your side now," Padmé smiled. "Maybe he can convince Leia that you're not so bad of a guy."

"I hope so," Anakin muttered. He sipped at his fruit drink for a minute. "Vexton showed up while you were away. He tried to ask Luke if you were home, but he just scared the kid so bad he screamed." Anakin sloshed his drink around in his glass. "Vexton wants you to call him before the party to discuss some vitally important matters." He looked up at her with concern flickering in his eyes. "He's up to something. I can feel it."

Padmé chewed at her lip for a moment and considered her options. She could call the insufferable git and see what he wanted. Or she could ignore him and wait to see what he wanted during the relatively safe setting of the party. It wasn't too hard of a choice to make.

"He can wait until the party to impart his message to me," Padmé scowled. "I don't have time to play at being nice to him right now. Come on Ani, it's time to get ready."

"If you're sure," Anakin shrugged, turned off the screen, and got up.

"I'm sure," Padmé confirmed.

"Okay." He took his mostly-finished drink and left to prepare himself for the party.

_Two hours,_ Padmé sighed when she glanced at a nearby chronometer. _Two hours and then I throw a party to formally introduce Anakin to all the neighbors…_


	28. 27: Party Time

**Chapter 27  
**_Party Time_

Anakin grimaced as he tried to make the clothes that Padmé had picked out for him comfortable. But it was no use. The clothes were still very new, so they hadn't been broken in yet, and they were dress clothes and so they were doubly uncomfortable.

_Give me my old Jedi robes any day._ He tugged at the starchy collar of his white shirt. _These are politician clothes…_

He supposed he should be grateful. This outfit didn't come with any lace or ruffles that he'd seen in other suits of the local "fashionable" style. It was just a white button-up shirt, a black buttoned vest, a dark blue coat and matching pants, black boots, and a dark brown fancy leather glove on his right hand. But still he felt ridiculously over-dressed and out of place.

_I think I had a nightmare kinda like this once. _Anakin messed with his hair, but quickly gave up. There wasn't much that he could do with it except maybe soak it in gel and make it look all wet and greasy. _I was all dressed up in some insane outfit and then I had to go stand in front of my History of the Order class. There was a lot of laughing and embarrassment involved, as I recall._

"You done?"

He turned to see Padmé come into the room. It seemed that she'd gone back for the emerald-colored dress that Vexton had caught her in back when they'd visited the dress shop earlier in the week. He was glad that she'd gone back for it; he quite liked it on her.

"I think so," he shrugged stiffly. "Did I put it on right?"

"Yes," she looked him over, "you managed it just fine. You look very nice, Anakin."

"I miss my Jedi clothes," he pouted.

"I'd let you wear them, but that would defeat the purpose of what we're doing here," she giggled.

"I guess," he sighed. "So, how many people are coming?"

"Just a few couples, their children, and, of course, Vexton Dare." She adjusted his coat. "We don't need too many witnesses. The neighbors will be enough to spread the word about you to the rest of the island. And then there will be no more gossip about me: the 'widow in denial.'"

Anakin hung his head. "I'm sorry I took so long in getting here."

"It's not your fault, Ani." She smiled and patted his cheek. "Now, come downstairs. The guests will be arriving soon."

Anakin forced a smile and allowed her to lead him away. _Great._ _Just great…_

* * *

Zett tried desperately not to squirm as he waited for all the important neighbors to arrive. When Lady Padmé had taken him shopping (shortly after she'd taken Master Anakin shopping), she'd found him some formal clothes, including what he was wearing now. It was a relatively simple suit, brick red in color, and very uncomfortable. 

_I miss my Jedi clothes,_ he sighed. _I miss my Alderaanian clothes. I miss my spacer clothes. These Xendiiran clothes are just awful._

Off to his left, Maré was pacing along the wall. Since no dresses fit her – as they were designed for Humans, not Najiimites – her clothing had to be made by Lady Padmé and Miss Sabé, specially. Therefore, her simple skirt was loose, comfortable, but still nice enough-looking for a formal gathering. He was admittedly jealous of her ease of movement and comfort.

Master Anakin's two children were just past where Maré was pacing, playing quietly together. Well, at least it looked like they were playing. They were sitting perfectly silently and playing some sort of made-up clapping game with their hands.

_What are they doing? _he wondered as he watched them. _It almost feels like they're using the Force a little bit. But they're so young and they haven't been trained. They're not Younglings in the Temple crèche with special Masters to tend them. They shouldn't know anything about the Force._

_I actually wish they did know some things about the Force…_

Earlier, he'd gotten in some trouble with Master Anakin for losing track of one of the children. He and Maré had been charged with watching the boy play while all the other adults were away, and out of boredom, he'd asked Maré to show him some of the plants. One minute, she was explaining the qualities of various leaves in halting Basic, and the next she was taking off into the forest. Utterly confused, he'd followed her to see what was wrong. And when he finally persuaded her to return to the castle, he found that they were guilty of not protecting the young boy from an unfriendly neighbor.

_We got off easy,_ Zett sighed to himself. _Just a lecture._ _Though Maré seemed pretty upset about all of it. I guess that's just her being scared of grown men again._

Running through a breathing exercise, he forced himself to stay still as he waited to meet the neighbors. He was a Jedi Padawan. He didn't fidget or pace. He waited patiently for whatever would come.

_I am a Jedi. I am patient. I can wait…even in these awful clothes._

* * *

Luke was having an argument with Leia. That wasn't new. He argued with her all the time. But this time, the argument was a new one. 

_(You're being mean, Leia.)_

_(No I'm not!)_

_(He's nice.)_

_(He's stupid!)_

_(He's not stupid! He made the Bad Man go away!)_

_(So what? Everyone knows that the Bad Man is bad. They all try to make him go away.)_

_(He saved me from the Bad Man. He made me feel all nice.)_

_(He's stupid! He doesn't even know my name! He just calls me "Princess" because he's too dumb to remember my name!)_

_(He's not dumb! He'll figure out your name.)_

_(He **is** dumb! I can't wait for him to go away.)_

_(He's not going to go away! He's been here so long. He's going to stay. He's—)_

_(He's going to go away! Uncle Ben left.)_

_(But Uncle Ben came back!)_

_(And he left again. The Tall Man is going to go away and leave the boy he brought with him here.)_

_(He's going to stay! He's Daddy!)_

_(No he's not. That's just his name. We don't have a Daddy. We have Cap'n Typho. That's all we need.)_

_(But the Tall Man **is** Daddy! He is!)_

_(No he's not! He's just a dumb man. And he's going to go away soon.)_

_(No he's not! He's Daddy and he's going to stay forever!)_

_(Don't be a stupid-head, Luke! He's just trying to take you away from me and make you be not my brother! We don't have a Daddy. We just have Mommy, Auntie Sabé, and Cap'n Typho. They're our Family. The Tall Man **isn't**!)_

_(I'm not a stupid-head! You're the stupid-head, Leia! And I don't like you anymore!)_

Luke stopped playing Clap with Leia. He turned away from her, crossed his arms over his chest, and stared at the floor. Leia kept trying to talk to him, but he pushed her voice out of his head. She was mad at him, but Luke didn't care. He was mad at her too, so they were even.

_Leia's a stupid-head! I'm never talking to her again,_ he resolved angrily. _Of course the Tall Man is Daddy. He's so shiny and warm and good. Who else could he be?_

"Is something wrong?"

Luke looked up to see the New Boy standing there. He wasn't sure what to think of the New Boy. He followed Daddy around and called him "Master Anakin" and he called Mommy "Lady Padmé" and he called Auntie Sabé "Miss Sabé." He was really weird.

"Leia's a stupid-head an' I'm not talking to her anymore," Luke declared.

"I am not!" Leia yelled.

Luke almost yelled back that she was, but he remembered that he wasn't talking to her, so he kept his mouth shut.

"Why are mad at your sister?" the New Boy asked.

"She's sayin' bad t'ings 'bout Daddy," Luke told him angrily. "She says he's gonna go 'way and dat he's dumb!"

The New Boy frowned. "Your father isn't dumb and he isn't going to leave. We came from very far away to live here with you. Why would we leave?"

"See!" Luke told Leia, and then he remembered he wasn't talking to her. _Oops._

Leia made an angry, upset face. "Well he's mean and I hate him!" she screamed and ran away.

"Uh-oh," the New Boy said.

"Leia's just bein' dumb," Luke told him. "She'll come back when da party starts. She likes parties." _Because she's a girl and she's stupid…_

* * *

Leia was mad. She was so mad she was crying. She was so mad she was crying and running away. And today was a party day, when people came over and enjoyed her pretty dress and hair and shoes. Today was a happy day and she was mad and crying and running away. 

She ran all the way up to her room and jumped onto her bed and cried and cried.

_It's all the Tall Man's fault! He came and he messed everything up! He's taking Luke away from me! I want him to go away!_

Before the Tall Man had come and brought the New Boy, everything had been good. Luke was her brother and did what she told him to. Mommy and Auntie Sabé and Cap'n Typho loved them. And the neighbor people always said how cute they were and how smart they were.

The Bad Man was a problem. But someone always made him go away. And if that someone took too long in making the Bad Man go away, she would help make him go away by telling him how bad he was. Mommy always told her not to do that, but Mommy was silly sometimes.

But then the Tall Man had come with the New Boy. Mommy paid too much attention to them. So did Auntie Sabé and Cap'n Typho. And now so did Luke. The New Boy was okay. He was just a boy. But the Tall Man was a grown up, and her Family shouldn't pay him as much attention as they did. He wasn't important enough. He wasn't Family. He was just a man.

She was even madder now and so she cried some more. And then she wasn't alone. The Tall Man was in her room.

"What's wrong, Princess?"

Even though he was a guest and she was supposed to be polite to him, Leia was too mad to bother. "My name isn't Princess, it's Leia you big dumb-head!"

The Tall Man looked upset, and Leia was glad. Maybe if she hurt his feelings enough, he would go away and stop ruining everything. That was how she helped make the Bad Man go away.

"I know your name is Leia," the Tall Man said softly and sat down on her bed. "I just call you Princess because I thought you would like it."

"I don't like it!" Leia yelled. "Now go 'way!"

"Alright, I won't call you Princess anymore," the Tall Man promised. "Why do you want me to go away?"

"You're messin' everyt'ing up!" Leia crawled over her bed to hit the Tall Man with her fists. "You're makin' Luke mad at me! I hate you!"

"You hate me?" The Tall Man sounded very sad. "What did I do to make you hate me?"

"You're messin' everyt'ing up!" Leia screeched and hit him harder. "It was better when you weren't here!"

"But…" The Tall Man caught her hands to stop her hitting him. "Don't you want a Daddy?"

"No!" Leia cried and tried to get away.

"Why not?"

"I don' need a Daddy!" Leia wailed. "I don' have a Daddy an' I don' need one!"

"When I was a little boy, I didn't have a Daddy," the Tall Man told her quietly. "I just had a Mommy. And all I wanted was a Daddy like the other children."

"Well I don' want one!"

The Tall Man sighed. "Okay…okay, fair enough. I-I won't be your Daddy, then. Here." He pulled her into his lap and started wiping at her wet eyes. "Calm down now, no more crying. Some of Mommy's friends are here now and they want to know where you are."

Leia sniffed. "Okay."

The Tall Man picked her up and set her one the floor. "Let's go show off your pretty new dress and shoes, okay?" He held out his hand.

Leia stared at his hand for a minute. "Okay," she agreed unhappily and took his hand. _I still don't like you, you brother-stealer!_

* * *

Anakin calmly led Leia back downstairs. Her blatant hatred of him hurt, but now was not the time to dwell on it. He had a party to help host. When all the guests were gone, he'd curl up in Padmé's lap and cry like a baby. But not now. 

_She isn't even three yet. She doesn't mean it. She can't mean it. I'm just a stranger to her; a disruption that she doesn't appreciate. She'll come around…_

But, no matter how many times he told himself that, it was getting harder and harder to believe it.

Glancing down into the grand foyer from the top of the stairs, he could see the first of the neighbors. It was a single family, a husband and wife and their brood of children. The oldest child, a boy, had a dark wrist brace on one hand, and the other two were girls, one older than the twins and the other barely a year old.

Steeling his nerves, he held Leia's tiny hand and helped her down the long flight of stairs. He could hear Padmé and Sabé chatting with the neighbors as he descended to the foyer. Things sounded pleasant and friendly between them and he sensed no worry or tension. The conversation ceased when he and Leia reached the ground level and they were spotted.

"There she is!" Padmé smiled warmly and brought Leia before the neighbors. "Leia, say hi to Mr. and Mrs. Wilk."

Leia did a clumsy imitation of a curtsy. "Hello."

"Hello." Mr. Wilk nodded with a warm smile.

"That's a very nice dress, Leia," Mrs. Wilk remarked. "Is it new?"

"Yes," Leia replied. "Mommy jus' bought it fo' me today."

Mrs. Wilk grinned down at her. "How nice."

"Leia, sweetie, go sit by your brother," Padmé directed with a gentle shove. As Leia trudged over to her brother and Zett, Padmé waved Anakin over and he obediently approached. "Grenner, Dana, this is my husband, Anakin Skywalker."

Anakin schooled his features into a friendly expression and sketched them a half bow. They returned his courtesy with unrestrained looks of shock. He couldn't quite decide whether they were more surprised by his physical appearance or his actual physical presence on the planet, in the house with them.

"It-it's nice to…to finally meet you, Mr. Skywalker," Grenner Wilk finally managed to choke out.

"And it's nice to meet you, both." Anakin smiled pleasantly.

Dana Wilk smiled nervously, and put her little toddler down. "Joh," she instructed her son, "take your sisters over to play with Luke and Leia."

Little Joh, a dark-haired boy of about nine, sighed but did as he was told and led his two younger siblings away.

_It hasn't even been five minutes and already they're sending their children away from the stranger with the dangerous-looking scar on his face. Oh joy._ In spite of his bitter thoughts, he kept his outward appearances calm and friendly.

"Miss…Mrs. Skywalker has told us a lot about you," Grenner swallowed nervously.

"And Padmé's told me a great deal about you," Anakin replied politely. "Though I must admit, it gives me something of a headache to try and keep it all straight. You're the family that runs vineyards and orchards, right?" _Force, I hate small talk… _

"Yes," Grenner nodded, "that's right. And your business was…fixing ships for a Corellian shipping firm, am I correct?"

"You are," Anakin nodded. "The company folded a few months after the regime change, which made harder to scrape together the funds I needed to find my way out here."

"I see," Grenner sighed and managed to look appropriately regretful. Anakin could sense that he was still very nervous, though.

Before the rather pathetic conversation could limp along any further, Captain Typho showed the next bunch of guests in. There was another husband and wife pair, leading a young daughter roughly the same age as the Wilks' middle child. They looked like an ordinary, happy, young family. And they too immediately tensed up upon spying Anakin, the mysterious and dangerous-looking stranger in the room.

Padmé strode over to them with a warm smile. "Lan, Bria, I'm glad you could come." She bent down to address their daughter. "Leda, why don't you go over there and play with the other girls?"

"Yes, go play," Bria smiled and shooed Leda off.

With Leda now in the cluster of children on the other side of the room, Padmé ran through the introductions again. "Lan, Bria, this is my husband, Anakin Skywalker," she smiled and gestured to Anakin who moved to stand at her shoulder again. "Anakin, these are Lan and Bria Drummond."

"Good afternoon," Anakin greeted politely with another half-bow.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Skywalker," Lan smiled tensely. "It's good to finally meet you."

"And it's good to me the both of you," Anakin replied. _Well, I guess so…_

Padmé managed the small talk this time, managing to bring the Wilks into the conversation as well. Anakin just stood by with a pleasant expression and nodded when appropriate. Behind him, he could hear Sabé play with the children. While he loved Padmé and wanted to support her, at the moment he'd much rather be entertaining kids.

Next to arrive were yet another married couple. They had no children of their own, and seeing as they were the youngest adults present, he could see why. The husband looked barely twenty and his young wife looked to be barely of marriageable age.

"Hello, Miss Padmé, I'm so glad that you—" The man cut his greeting short and openly gawked at Anakin.

_Force, this guy is even younger than I am. _Anakin felt his smile tighten._ And it shows. A lot._

"Brun, Chita, welcome," Padmé smiled. "This is my husband, Anakin Skywalker. Anakin, these are Brun and Chita Vahlshie. They were married just last year."

"It's nice to meet you," Anakin once again greeted with a bow. _Kill me now._

"It's, uh, nice-nice to meet you, too." Brun grinned weakly and offered up his hand for a shake.

Anakin shook the man's hand and went back to hovering at Padmé's shoulder. _At least he wasn't too afraid to touch me. But still…this party sucks._

He missed his Jedi robes. They were comfortable, functional, and they had given him an unquestioned mark of respect. But now, done up as a moderately wealthy civilian, he felt decidedly out of place, vulnerable even. It was not the sort of feeling that he enjoyed.

_If only I could wear my robes without worrying about being shot or turned in…_

"Hello, hello!" A woman called out from the door. "Am I late?"

"No, Vella, you're not late," Padmé smiled. "Come over here, there's someone I want you to meet."

The woman who approached was older than all the others and dressed more casually. And she came unaccompanied, there was no man on her arm or near her person. Combined with her cheerful greeting, Anakin couldn't help but be intrigued by the dark-haired woman with the stripe of silver hair.

"Oh, and who would that be?" Vella asked with a smile the crinkled the corners of her gray eyes.

"Vella, this is Anakin Skywalker, my husband," Padmé grinned. "Anakin, this is my good friend, Vella Brooks."

"Good afternoon," Anakin greeted with his most genuine smile of the event.

However, Vella didn't appear to be as glad to see him as he was to see her. Her smile faded and she gave him a hard look. Anakin started to feel distinctly nervous as the lady's expression darkened.

"Padmé, Padmé, Padmé," Vella sighed. "And here I thought you were going to stick it out and go on without a man tied to your arm."

_Um, what?_ Anakin blinked.

"While I could do that if I had to, Vella, I much prefer having Anakin around," Padmé assured her friend.

"If you say so," Vella muttered dubiously. "Well," she sighed, "It's nice to meet you, Anakin."

Anakin smiled, nodded, and wished he could creep away. _Half an hour down, several hours to go. Can I make it? I don't know… _

* * *

All things considered, Padmé thought that things were going very well. Introductions had been tense, but they had gone through without any real problem. There had been no crises with the food, the guests, or the children. After the initial tension, things had relaxed considerably. And best of all, Vexton Dare had yet to show up. 

_Perhaps he won't come,_ Padmé hoped to herself as she darted into the kitchen to refill one of the snack plates. _That'll be a first. And a very welcome one!_

But, of course, all good things must come to an end. Just as she was returning to the dining room – which Anakin and Typho had rearranged into a make-shift party room as the ballroom was simply too large for the small gathering – was when it all went screaming downhill. She had the heavy platter balanced on one hand as she reached for the door handle (no doors were automatic in the castle, they were all the old-fashioned kind with handles and hinges) when he slunk up behind her.

"Miss Padmé," Vexton almost purred into her ear, "may I have a word with you?"

Padmé nearly screamed at the unpleasant surprise, and at Vexton's even more unpleasant proximity. "Of course, Mr. Dare. Could you please open the door for me?"

"I would've spoken with you earlier," Vexton continued as if he had not heard her request, "but it seems that that spacer you invited into your home was too incompetent to pass along my desire to have a private conference."

"Anakin told me that you wished to speak with me, but I'm sorry to say that I simply didn't have the time to permit me to speak with you before the party." Padmé shifted her grip on the snack platter. "If you wish to speak with me privately, I'm afraid that you'll have to wait until after the party. Now Mr. Dare, if you please, the door?"

Vexton moved from behind her to lean against the double doors, blocking her off from the rest of the party. "I'm sorry Miss Padmé, but this simply cannot wait."

"If this is so important, Mr. Dare, you should have approached me earlier in the day. I was home all morning," she informed him tensely. _I don't know how Jedi powers work, but Anakin, hear me and open the door._

"I had other business to attend to that I simply couldn't avoid," Vexton shrugged. "But now that we are both unoccupied, we can talk, uninterrupted."

_Don't you see the tray of food in my hands?_ "What is it that's so important, Mr. Dare?" _Anakin, open the door._

Vexton graced her with a smile that more properly belonged on the face of a hungry Nexu. "Why, the terms of our prenuptial agreement, of course!"

Padmé stared blankly back at him. "What?" _Anakin, get your butt out here!_

"Our prenuptial agreement," Vexton repeated patiently. "And after that, the date for the nuptials themselves."

"Mr. Dare," Padmé said slowly, "I am already married."

"No you aren't," he smiled condescendingly. "The Yunil Sector has never been a part of the Republic, and its laws are not valid here. Your marriage is only sanctioned in the Republic, now the Empire…not here. On Xendiir, you are an unmarried woman, and I shall marry you."

"That's strange, Mr. Dare, but I never recall you asking me to marry you, nor me agreeing to such a union." _Anakin Skywalker!_

"Well, why wouldn't you want to marry me?" His quizzical expression turned her stomach. He seemed genuinely confused as to why she wouldn't be dying to marry him.

"Because I am already happily married to someone else," Padmé replied incredulously. **_Anakin!_**

"But I just told you—"

The door that Vexton had been leaning against abruptly opened and knocked the man down flat onto his butt. Padmé didn't know how she managed not to smirk triumphantly down at the shocked Vexton or gaze adoringly at Anakin, who was on the other side of the rogue door. Anakin stepped out into the hall, apparently oblivious of Vexton sprawled out on the floor.

"There you are," he smiled at Padmé. "We were starting to worry." Anakin took the tray from her and then made a little show of suddenly catching sight of the flattened Vexton. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Dare! I didn't know that you were there."

How Vexton didn't spontaneously combust, Padmé had no idea. "I'm sure that you didn't," he hissed acidly. "Now leave us, we are in a private conference."

Padmé's glee at seeing Vexton knocked on his ass immediately evaporated into a barely restrained rage. "Mr. Dare was merely pointing out to me a minor problem that will be rectified as soon as possible," Padmé corrected and swept back into the rearranged dining room and the relative safety provided by her guests. "Thank you, Mr. Dare."

"I see," Anakin nodded and offered Vexton his free hand, balancing the heavy tray effortlessly on his other hand.

Vexton ignored Anakin's hand and stormed into the dining room after her. "Miss Padmé, I didn't want to do this in front of the neighborhood, but you leave me no choice." He stepped in front of her, halting her escape, and pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket. Opening the box, he revealed a ring that probably cost as much as the entire castle that they currently stood in. He smiled his patented charming smile and caught her left hand before she could avoid him.

"Witness this," Vexton instructed the shocked audience of Padmé's party guests. "I am pleased to announce that, since Miss Padmé's marriage contract is not valid on Xendiir, I shall take her under my protection and into my home as my wife." He reached for her silvery wedding band. "We shall be married—"

Padmé cracked her free hand against Vexton's cheek and wrenched out of his grip. "I agreed to no such thing, nor will I _ever_! I would sooner die than marry you!"

Vexton was clearly shocked that she, a woman who should be worshipping him at his feet, would even dream of striking him as she had. But instead of growing angry, he laughed. Padmé honestly didn't know how she kept herself from throttling him.

When his laughter died away, Vexton turned to Leia, who was staring up at him as if he were insane. "Hello, little girl. Guess what? I'm going to marry your mother and be your new father. Isn't that wonderful?"

* * *

Leia loved parties. There was always nice food to eat. And everybody said nice things about her pretty clothes and hair and shoes. 

She liked this party as much as any other party. It had started out bad with her fight with Luke and the Tall Man making trouble. But then it had gotten better.

And now it was terrible, horrible, bad. Her trouble with the Tall Man didn't seem to be so bad now. The Bad Man was going to marry Mommy and become her Daddy.

"Isn't that wonderful?" The Bad Man smiled down at her with a mean smile.

"No!" Leia screamed.

The Bad Man was leaning over her and he looked so much bigger somehow. She was so scared she felt sick. The Bad Man couldn't become Daddy. He was bad! He made everybody mad and scared and he made Luke cry!

The Bad Man frowned and reached out to touch her. Leia didn't want that. He was terrible and horrible and bad and he couldn't be Daddy. She ran away from him and hugged the Tall Man's leg.

"No!" she wailed and started to cry again. "No! Daddy!" _(Make the Bad Man go away! Please Daddy/Tall Man, please!)_

The Tall Man picked her up and hugged her and petted her hair. "Shh, Leia, shh. Mr. Dare isn't going to marry Mommy. She has to agree to marry him, and she won't."

Leia felt a little better, but not too much. The Bad Man as Daddy was the worst thing in the world, and she didn't want it to happen. It was so bad that the idea of the Tall Man as Daddy wasn't bad at all.

Luke was just as scared as she was. He had gone to Auntie Sabé, because she was closer than Mommy or the Tall Man. Luke wanted the Tall Man though, Leia could tell. She could always tell.

"Mr. Dare," Mommy growled meanly. "You have upset my children. Please leave, immediately."

"But Miss Padmé," the Bad Man grinned, "we haven't finished—"

"You _are_ finished, Mr. Dare," Mommy snapped. "Now leave."

"Miss Padmé," the Bad Man said again, like she was some kind of stupid baby.

"You are finished, Mr. Dare," the Tall Man said. "Please honor my wife's request and vacate the premises before I am forced to remove you."

The Bad Man laughed again. "You wouldn't dare lay a hand on me!"

"Oh?" was all that the Tall Man said.

The Tall Man and the Bad Man stared at each other for a really long time. Like five minutes. Leia still felt awful from the icky idea of the Bad Man as Daddy and sniffled into the Tall Man's shoulder.

"Well, I have other business that demands my attention," the Bad Man said. "I must depart. Miss Padmé, I shall return tomorrow so that we may discuss the terms of the prenuptial agreements and forthcoming wedding."

The room was very quiet as the Bad Man went away. It stayed quiet until the Bad Man was gone. Then it got noisy as everybody started talking all quickly and scared.

All the scared talking made Leia feel ickier and she started to cry more. Why couldn't the Bad Man just go away forever? Why did he have to keep doing such bad things?

The Tall Man started to rock her, like Mommy did. A weird warm feeling, like a blanket she couldn't she, wrapped around her and the icky feeling started to go away. He petted her hair and she started to feel sleepy.

"It'll be okay, Leia. That bad man isn't going to be your Daddy. Not ever. Mommy won't let it happen," the Tall Man promised. "It'll be okay, Princess. It'll be okay."

Even though her name was not Princess, Leia didn't mind it anymore. The Tall Man felt so nice when he called her that, so happy. And his happy feelings made her feel better. It made the invisible blanket warmer and fuzzier. She wrapped her arms around the Tall Man's neck and put her cheek against his shoulder.

"Feel better now, Princess?"

Leia sighed and fell asleep.


	29. 28: Husband and Wife

**Chapter 28  
**_Husband and Wife _

The party hadn't lasted too long after Vexton crashed it, and Anakin was glad. When the guests had left, he hastily peeled off the fancy clothes in favor of a more casual outfit and took Zett on a hike around the grounds to clear his head. In a way, it had helped, but only in the sense that it wore him out enough to make him only think about how tired he was and how much he wanted to take a nap.

But he couldn't just go and take a nap. First he had to help clean up after the party, while simultaneously watching the children run around the house. And then it was time for dinner. The meal wasn't as hectic as it usually was as the twins were still somewhat subdued from Vexton's earlier stunt, but there was still a lot of squirming and playing with food.

After dinner, it was on to the difficult task of getting the toddlers into bed. Phase one consisted of wearing the twins down, usually by playing several energetic games. Phase two was cleaning them up and changing them into their tiny sleep clothes. And Phase three was getting them in their beds, keeping them there, and telling them stories until they passed out. On a good night, this took about three hours to complete successfully. On a bad night, much, much longer. Again, as the twins were still a little shook up from the party, they behaved themselves very well and were loaded into bed after just two hours.

Once the babies were sleeping, the rest of the household seemed to dissolve. Artoo parked himself in the nursery to play nightlight and bodyguard. Orbie shut down for the night and plugged into a power outlet somewhere to recharge his batteries. Typho checked the security systems over, just to be safe, and then went to sleep. Zett slipped off to his room to do his homework before turning in for the night. Maré slunk into the large hall closet that she had commandeered as her room and fallen asleep in seconds when she was sure that her presence was no longer required for anything. And Sabé had curled up in her room with a book before she too would sleep.

Anakin sorely wished to join all the other people in the house in the act of sleeping, but he still had some things to do first. He needed to talk with Padmé about what they were going to do about what Vexton was trying to do. And Padmé, after bottling up her feelings and opinions on the matter all afternoon and night, was now furiously venting it all as she paced around her room in her nightgown and robe while he sat on her bed dressed for sleep and listened.

"…never seen such an arrogant, pig-headed, shaak-brained, _dashkai_ in my entire life!" Padmé vented as she paced. "Why someone hasn't killed him yet, I have no idea!"

_I have no idea what "dashkai" means, and I don't think I want to know…_ "The people here are too cultured and sophisticated to do something so crude as hiring a hit man, and they're too afraid that if they tried they'd get caught and lose everything that they have."

"I know," Padmé sighed, abruptly ending her furious pacing. "I knew that Xendiir was too good to be true. It seemed like the perfect place. Good climate, healthy natural environment, acceptable level of technology, good schools, good house, tolerable cultural and social conditions…" She sighed again and sat down beside him on the edge of her giant, fluffy bed. "If Vexton pulls another stunt like this, I think we'll have to seriously consider moving."

"Moving?" Anakin frowned. _But…I just got here._ "Surely there's something else that we can do to get him to back off. Isn't there anything that scares him?"

"Rumor has it that the only person that can put him in his place is his father, Rexus Dare. Unfortunately, Rexus is reputed to be a workaholic businessman and spends most of his time making money off his shrewd investments. He spends all his time on Verdant, in his offices, and doesn't take kindly to bothering him with trivialities like what his offspring is up to." Padmé rubbed a weary hand over her face. "Unless Vexton decides to do something physical or truly criminal, I don't want to risk contacting his father."

"All right," Anakin agreed with a tired shrug. "So do we have a plan for how to deal with what Vexton's doing now?"

"There's a courthouse on Bessta, the next island over, and a ferry runs between Viscan and Bessta three times a day. The only way I can see to fix this is to go for a plain civil ceremony, and do it as soon as possible." She anxiously fiddled with the sash of her robe before glancing up at him. "But…if we do this…Ani, won't you get in trouble?"

"Huh?" he blinked.

"Jedi aren't allowed to get married," she reminded him. "Faking marriage and forging the paperwork for it is one thing, but to go and do it for real…"

He chewed this over in his head for a moment before replying. "To be technical," he smirked, "Anakin Skywalker was never a Jedi, and Dar'ti Vader was only pretending to be a Jedi, so I've never really been a Jedi; and therefore I am not bound by their silly rules." His triumphant grin faded. "The real question is: do you mind being legally stuck with me for however long our existence in this exile lasts?"

Padmé studied him curiously for a minute. Then she smiled and leaned up against his side. "Don't be silly, Ani, of course I don't mind being 'stuck with you.' There are much worse men I could marry than you, you know. Like, say, Josef Vorski, or Vexton, or…Emperor Palpatine."

Anakin couldn't help but shudder. "Thank you for giving me nightmares for the next week and a half."

"Sorry," she giggled. "But really, Ani, I have absolutely no problem marrying you. My only concern was whether you would get in trouble if you did and if you wanted to go through with it."

"Well, I don't have any problem with it," he snorted. "And if you don't, then I guess we'll be going to this courthouse and…getting married."

"All right then," she sighed and rested her cheek against his shoulder. "We can catch the noon ferry to Bessta tomorrow and take the evening ferry back to Viscan after we finish. I can gather up the required witnesses in the morning. Hopefully I can convince some of the neighbors to do it, as it would be best to get witnesses from outside the household…"

Padmé rambled on about her plans for the next day and the details of those plans and Anakin just nodded every now and then in agreement. Then she moved on from talking about how they would carry out their expeditious civil union to ideas she'd had for a possible vacation to take when the twins were a few years older. And then she drifted on to ideas she had for redecorating a few rooms of the castle.

Feeling tired, and tired of sitting on the edge of her ridiculously fluffy bed, he gently nudged her all the way on the bed. She kept right on rambling as she settled back against the pillows and he kept on nodding where appropriate as he got comfortable next to her. He lay on his side, facing her, with his head propped up on his cold mechanical hand, and listened to Padmé go on about something about color combinations that he didn't even pretend to understand, but still nodded seriously when she seemed to want him to agree to something.

Eventually, his tired eyelids grew heavier, and it took more and more effort to open them every time he blinked. His neck was starting to get a bit stiff so he laid his head on one of Padmé's many pillows. And then, when he couldn't bother to open his eyes anymore, he just listened to her gentle voice…

* * *

"…But before we do any of that, Sabé's been requesting we purchase a private ship. So, Ani, do you have any suggestions for what sort of ship we should think about getting?" 

He didn't answer.

"Ani?"

Padmé turned to check on him, and found that he was fast asleep. _Oops! I think I bored him too much with all that talk about redecorating…_

Now she found herself in a minor dilemma. Should she wake poor Anakin up and send him to his own room? Or should she just let him stay where he was?

_Oh, this is silly!_ she chided herself. _This bed is more than big enough for two adults. Sabé and Typho could join us before it would start to get crowded! _

_And besides, I'm going to really marry Anakin tomorrow. Married couples tend to sleep in the same bed on occasion. This is no big deal._

Her mind made up, she hopped off the bed to turn out the lights. Then she carefully peeled back the sheets, struggling a bit with the section that was trapped under Anakin's body. And then, after carefully tucking him in, she crawled into bed near him (but not right next to him) and did her best to get to sleep.

However, it took much longer than it usually did for unconsciousness to claim her. It was stupid. He wasn't even touching her, not even breathing on her, but the very fact that he was sleeping in the same bed with her kept prickling around her mind and kept her awake. But eventually, after what felt like hours, she did drift off…

* * *

The first thing that Anakin became aware of was a bright light stabbing at his eyelids. That was a little odd, as his bedroom didn't have a window and he never slept with the lights on. But he sleepily shrugged the inconsistency off, turned his face away from the invading sunbeam, and snuggled closer to… 

The second thing that Anakin became aware of was the fact that he was not alone in his bed. There was a warm body curled up against his chest. And his arms were wrapped around this warm body…

This led to the realization that this was not his bed. It was far too soft and fluffy to be his. And it was in the wrong room according to the sunlight that now warmed his cheek instead of attacking his closed eyes.

And all of this led Anakin to ask himself one very important question: _What the hell did I do last night?_

His eyes snapped open and he found himself staring at the top of a familiar head. Slowly glancing down, he found that familiar head attached to a familiar body. And this led to a rush of panic and a sickening sense of déjà vu.

_Oh shit! I-we couldn't have! Not again! I…_

Relief swamped him as he realized that he was still fully clothed, as was she. Therefore, what he had feared had happened, hadn't. And then as his mind woke up more, he recalled that he hadn't consumed anything alcoholic the previous night, nor had she.

_Phew!_ He sighed as all the sudden tension ran out of him. _Oh that scared me…_

Now with that moment of sheer panic out of the way, he began to wonder just how he ended up in such an…interesting…situation.

_Lemme think… There was that party. Vexton showed up and was a complete jerk. Padmé and I had to talk after we put the kids to bed and… Oh._

He cringed a little in embarrassment as he realized he'd fallen asleep while Padmé had been talking to him. He had fallen asleep next to her, in her bed, while she'd been talking about…about…something. And she…hadn't kicked him out?

_Okay. I'm confused. Why wouldn't she wake me up and send me off to my own bed? I'm not that hard to wake up…_

Padmé sighed into his chest and shifted closer to him. Anakin was immediately glad that he was wearing a shirt, as he usually slept shirtless. And then he wished that he had chosen a thicker shirt.

_Oh this is…awkward…and complicated. We've only had sex once…years ago…as a result of spiked drinks…which then resulted in two babies…and I don't remember it at all… And right now, I'm not sure what I'm allowed to touch._

Swallowing nervously, he carefully removed his left hand from where it was draped dangerously low on her back. Then he slowly removed his right hand from under the pillows under his head. But just as he was edging away from her to make his escape, she scooted closer to him and drowsily slipped her arm around his neck.

"Mmm," she sighed. "Quit moving."

"Uh," he choked. "Um, Padmé—"

"Shh," she mumbled into his neck. "'m trying t' sleep."

"But…" he floundered. "But it's morning."

She sluggishly leaned back and squinted at his face. "It is?"

He managed a weak smile. "Yes, it is."

"Oh." She blinked a few times before burying her face into his shoulder. "Five more minutes."

_Oh Force…_ He gulped hard. "Um…okay?"

"Good," she sighed, "'m tired."

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and worked on relaxing. Since he didn't seem to be going anywhere soon, and since she really didn't seem to mind him being there, he might as well settle in and enjoy himself a little. Force only knew when he was going to find himself in this situation again. So he very carefully slipped his arms around her waist and mentally reviewed the schedule for the day.

_Get up, shower, get dressed, and eat breakfast. Get the kids up, feed them, and dress them. And then Padmé's going to round up some neighbors, we're going to catch some ferry at noon, and…and then we're going to get married._

Anakin sighed deeply and rested his cheek against her hair. _Maybe I should sleep a little longer. Today is bound to be…very interesting._

* * *

Padmé felt so tense she almost wondered if her frame would snap from it. So far, everything had gone incredibly smoothly. But she couldn't shake the lingering fear that, somehow, some way, something would go terribly wrong. 

After running through the usual morning circus of getting everyone up, dressed, and fed, she'd made a few calls to various neighbors that she considered friends to see if she could scrounge up the pair of witnesses for the afternoon. She managed to secure the Wilks participation by promising Sabé and Typho as babysitters for their own children and then it was off to pick up some tickets for the noon ferry to Bessta. Then, after acquiring the tickets, gathering up all the (forged) papers that they might need, recruiting Orbie to record everything, and meeting up with the Wilks in town, it was down to the docks and on to the ferry.

The ferry ride had been the closest thing to a snag so far. It was a primitive ferry; it rode the waves instead of hovering over them on repulsors. Perhaps it was just stress, but Padmé began to feel a bit seasick and spent the entire trip leaning on the railing and praying to not spew her breakfast over the side. Anakin stayed with her the whole time, though she noted that the sight of so much water all around and underneath him appeared to make him nervous.

Thankfully the ride was only an hour long, though it felt ten times longer to her, and they reached Bessta Island without incident. The courthouse was a medium-sized building near the center of town, less then ten minutes from the ship docks. It was the smallest courthouse that Padmé had ever seen, but it was open and the judge was free and that was all that really mattered.

Since Xendiir was so peaceful and the Human population was so low, the courthouse didn't see much use. The single judge's usual job was mediating minor to moderate disputes, and even then he was left with little to do most days. He was quite surprised when Padmé led her little group inside and asked about having a civil ceremony performed as soon as possible, but he cheerfully agreed and managed to throw things together in under an hour.

Now the judge, a middle-aged man who was balding and slightly overweight, but a very pleasant man overall, was running through the very plain vows while Orbie recorded it all in high-quality holo. She and Anakin had temporarily removed their rings for the ceremony and stood across from each in front of the judge, hand in hand. Dana and Grenner Wilk stood off to the side, watching solemnly. All the paperwork had been signed, and in five more minutes, it would be official.

She tried to focus on what Judge Garn was saying, but her mind kept flicking back to the terrible feeling that something was going to go wrong. Somehow Vexton Dare would manage to ruin this, even though he wasn't anywhere in sight. He had ruined her party yesterday and she had no doubts that he would do his damnedest to ruin this too.

"Now, Anakin, do you promise to take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to cherish her, protect her, and support her until death parts you from her?"

Anakin's blue eyes burned into hers and her paranoia concerning Vexton Dare's infuriating antics was swept away. "I do."

"And, Padmé, do you promise to take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise cherish him, obey him, and support him until death parts you from him?"

Only her years as Queen and Senator allowed her to somehow find her voice long enough to speak the two words that she needed to. "I do."

"Good, it's official then." Judge Garn grinned cheerfully, shedding the grave face he'd worn during the short, plain ceremony. "Put your rings back on, kiss, and I'll validate your marriage license."

The judge then briefly left to do the very last bits of paper shuffling. Padmé was surprised to find her hands were shaking as she slipped Anakin's ring back on the proper finger. Then, when Anakin did the same for her, she was vaguely satisfied to notice that his hands were trembling as well. And then, with both rings replaced, Padmé found herself suddenly frozen as Anakin nervously moved to perform the final action that Judge Garn had ordered.

Padmé had vague, fuzzy memories of kissing Anakin back during the activity that had produced her two beautiful babies. He hadn't been bad as far as she could recall, but any recollections of that event were suspect due to the involvement (unintentionally as it was) of alcoholic and illicit drugs. And she knew that Anakin had no memory at all of that event. So how this ceremonial kiss would turn out was a complete mystery to her.

Anakin took a step closer to her, set his hands at her waist, and stared down at her with his blue, blue eyes. She stared up at him, feeling paralyzed and very nervous. As a career politician, feeling paralyzed bordered on deadly, and so for a few heartbeats while Anakin hesitated she regretted the need for this civil union and wished that she could just run away from everything.

And then he kissed her.

At first it wasn't anything special. It was light and chaste, but he lingered there for a moment as if not sure what to do next. The sense of paralysis lifted from her at the initial contact, allowing her to return the kiss. Taking this as encouragement, he kissed her again, harder this time and much less chaste. And things just spiraled onward from there.

When they finally stopped, Padmé felt lightheaded and on fire. At some point she'd wrapped her arms around his neck and now she practically hung from him, not trusting her weak knees to support her weight. He rested his forehead against hers as he struggled to catch his breath. Mesmerized by his gaze, she was about to kiss him again…only to be interrupted by Orbie making a sound that suspiciously resembled a wolf whistle.

"Thank you," Anakin growled at the hovering camera while Padmé giggled in embarrassment into his chest. "Thank you very much."

"Ah, love," Judge Garn sighed. "Everything is all in order," he announced cheerfully as he handed Padmé their copies (paper and digital) of their marriage license. "Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Skywalker. Have a nice day!"

"Thank you, sir," Anakin nodded respectfully. "Shall we go?"

Padmé managed to get her nervous giggling under control and linked her arm through his so they could make their exit from the judge's chambers. Dana and Grenner trailed after them, also arm in arm. And Orbie brought up the rear, probably still recording every second.

"Thanks for coming and helping us out, Dana, Grenner," she thanked her neighbors.

"You're very welcome Mrs. Skywalker," Grenner smiled. "It was no trouble at all."

"Thank you for letting our children stay in your home," Dana added. "They always love exploring Dannarak Castle."

Padmé smiled and was about to reply when the smile died on her face. They were halfway down the front steps of the courthouse and standing at the bottom of the steps was the last person that she wanted to see. Vexton Dare stood there with a puzzled look on his holo-star face and two men in business suits that Padmé took to be some of his lawyers hovered at each shoulder.

_Damn it!_ Her lingering lightheadedness instantly evaporated and she clung to Anakin and their stack of legal papers with a death grip. _He just couldn't stay away! Not even for one day!_

"Miss Padmé!" he blinked in surprise as she drew closer. "What are you doing here?"

"Correcting the minor problem that you so kindly pointed out yesterday," she replied tightly. "What are you doing here, Mr. Dare?"

"I'm here to file a notice of engagement," Vexton smiled slyly, "though I take it you have already filed yours, seeing as you are here. Shall we discuss dates?"

Padmé turned to the closer of Vexton's lawyers. "Sir, would you kindly explain to me what this 'notice of engagement' business is?"

"Certainly," the lawyer agreed. "A notice of engagement is a legal document that declares a man's (or woman's) intention to marry a specified individual and bars any rivals from entering into marriage with the specified individual. It lasts until the man (or woman) marries their intended."

"Is such a notice required before marriage?" she inquired. _Oh please say no._

"No, it is not," the lawyer answered. "Although, it is traditional to file one at least one week before marrying."

_Well, that's not happening. _"Thank you," she nodded politely to the lawyer. "Well, Mr. Dare, I'm so sorry to disappoint you, but you have no need to file this notice of engagement. I am no longer available."

"No longer available?" Vexton repeated blankly. "I'm not sure what you mean, Miss Padmé. It's perfectly normal for a woman and a man to file notices of engagement on each other. But if you don't want me to file one for your hand, then why don't we just go inside and have a civil union as a preliminary to the more public ceremony I have plans for later."

"What I mean is I am now legally married to Anakin, my husband," Padmé replied sweetly. "We just completed our civil ceremony." She gestured towards the hovering Orbie. "Would you like to watch our recording?"

Vexton opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no sound came out. Padmé found it very hard not to laugh at him, or even just smirk triumphantly, and she was certain that Anakin was having the same problem. Poor Dana and Grenner stood nervously by, probably praying to not be noticed. And Vexton's lawyers just looked bored and annoyed as they waited for their employer to recover his wits.

"How…how could you marry _that_?" he sputtered, gesturing derisively towards Anakin. "How? When I, Vexton Dare, am more than willing to set aside my wandering ways for you and your beautiful children?"

Padmé had to fight the urge to puke. _Like you would ever stay faithful to me, Vexton. And I know you hate children._ "It's simple, Mr. Dare. He is not only the father of my children, but he is my best friend and I love him. That's all the reason that I need. Now if you'll excuse me, we need to be heading home. Have a nice day, Mr. Dare." She tried to brush past him and escape, but he stepped in front of her, forcing her to halt.

"Miss Padmé, let it be known that I love you and will be forever devoted to you," he announced so loudly that they few passers-by across the street stopped to stare at them. "And," he leaned in to whisper, "one day, you _will_ be mine. It's a promise." And then he kissed her cheek and cheerfully walked away, his pair of lawyers at his heels.

When he was gone, Padmé made a show of wiping off her kissed cheek. "That arrogant pig! I'd sooner marry the Emperor than him! And Palpatine's a wrinkled, evil, old man who'd sell out his own mother if it suited his purposes."

"Padmé," Dana fretted, "you really shouldn't provoke him that way. The longer you hold out against him, the worse it will be. I-I know it's terrible, but you should let him get what he wants so that he'll leave you alone."

"Never," Padmé scowled as she stormed back towards the docks, almost dragging Anakin along by the arm. "I will never let that bastard lay a hand on me. I have no interest in his body, his money, or mothering another one of his illegitimate children."

"All right," Grenner agreed nervously. "But please, be careful."

"I always am," Padmé smiled tightly. "Now let's get out of here. The children are probably wondering where we are."

* * *

_Poor Padmé,_ Anakin sighed as he held her hand, and held back her hair, while she leaned over the railing of the ferry and coughed and gagged. _I'd never peg her as being prone to motion-sickness. She's never had trouble with even the roughest space travel. At least, not that I've heard about._

The waves had gotten rougher by the time the even ferry left Bessta for Viscan, which was why Padmé was now spewing her late lunch over the side, when she hadn't had such an extreme reaction on the earlier boat ride. Once they got back on solid ground he had no doubt that she would never set foot on an ocean-going boat ever again. Little water-speeders on calm lakes and channels back on Naboo were one thing, this was clearly another.

_I think if we need to go to a different island, we'll be taking a space ship from now on…_ He squinted at the horizon and sighed in relief. _Oh good, we're almost there._

"Just ten more minutes," he promised her quietly.

"That's too long," she moaned. "Ugh, I'm sorry Ani."

"It's all right," he shrugged. "It could've been worse. You could've puked on me instead of over the side."

"Oh," she groaned and sank limply against the rail. "I almost did."

"Yeah," he snorted, "just like I almost spewed all over Obi-Wan's boots when I first met him."

"You'll have to tell me about that sometime," she swallowed hard. "Just…not right now."

"Okay," he agreed.

The last long ten minutes passed in silence as the ferry lumbered up to the wooden docks of Viscan Island. Anakin didn't want to bother Padmé, and Padmé was probably focusing on not throwing up again. The instant that the ferry was tied off and the gangplank was lowered, they were off the boat and back onto a solid, non-moving surface.

"Oh, that was bad," Padmé gasped, clinging to a light post. "That's it, no more ferry rides."

"Agreed," Anakin nodded. "Feeling better?"

"Starting to," she muttered. "Oh, why did this never happen to me on Naboo?"

"Naboo has no oceans," he reminded her, "only lakes and rivers, so no big waves."

"Ugh," she grunted. "What an awful day."

Anakin cringed. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," she assured him. "Not your fault at all, Ani."

Dana and Grenner Wilk caught up with them then, while Orbie remained embroiled in some sort of odd war that he was waging with the seabirds that flocked around the ferry.

"We'll be going ahead and taking our children home," Grenner informed them.

"It's been a long day," Dana smiled weakly. "I hope you feel better Padmé."

"I will," Padmé grinned wanly. "Thank you for being witnesses."

"You're welcome," Grenner nodded politely, and then they both left.

"Oh, what a day," Padmé sighed when the neighbors were gone. "And to think that it isn't even time for dinner yet." She made a face. "Not that I want dinner right now…"

Anakin patted her shoulder comfortingly before turning his attention to retrieving his wayward droid camera. The blue and yellow sphere kept charging the black-feathered avians, as if it was trying to drive them all away so that it could claim the ferry as its own property. With a sigh, he carefully reached into the Force and tugged the hovercam away from the roof of the ferry.

"Enough," he scolded the complaining device. "We're going home now. Either stay with us, or go on ahead."

With an electronic raspberry, the droid zipped away towards Dannarak Castle.

Shaking his head, he gently tugged Padmé free of the light post and led her into town. "Come on; let's find a place to sit down."

He managed to find a bench near the center of the small town that dominated Viscan and briefly left her there to pick up a bottle of water from a nearby snack shop so that she could rinse her mouth out. Then, while she nursed the water and waited for her stomach to settle, he sat beside her and watched the few pedestrians wander around. Although Viscan was one of the more populated islands on Xendiir, even at the busiest hours, the urban center on the island had an empty, airy feeling as so few people were around.

Then, when he was certain that she was feeling much better, he asked a question that had been dogging him all day. "I don't suppose that this is what you had in mind when you dreamed about getting married, is it?"

"No," she chuckled, "not at all. Running into Vexton Dare and then getting seasick definitely doesn't fit into what I had planned."

Anakin chewed at his lip and rubbed at his ring. "If you could have everything the way you want it, how would your ideal wedding be?"

"Oh…" she leaned back on the bench and swished her water around. "If I could have my 'ideal wedding' it would be on Naboo, at the Varykino retreat. I'd wear my grandmother's wedding dress and my family and friends would be there, and your family and friends would be there. After the ceremony we'd have a nice little party. And after that, everyone would leave so we could have a nice long honeymoon at Varykino."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "That sounds nice. I wish we had time to bring my mom here. And I wish Obi-Wan had stuck around longer so we could've dragged him along too."

"That would've been nice," Padmé agreed, "but this wasn't too terrible. It got the job done, and it got it done fast; that's what we were after." She sighed and leaned on his shoulder. "If we'd waited, Vexton would've filed that 'notice of engagement' and then we'd have had to move away."

"That's such a stupid law," Anakin scowled. "It's too bad you can't go into politics here and strike it from the books."

"Don't tempt me," she snorted.

"I won't," he promised and slipped his arm around her shoulders. "Still…it's too bad that we couldn't wait until we could gather up more personal witnesses, and even throw a little after party with some real friends."

"Yeah," she nodded. "But…maybe someday, when we don't have to hide anymore, we can do a little renewal of the vows ceremony on Naboo with all our friends and family. That is, if you want to."

"Sounds good to me," he grinned. "If you want to do that, I have no problems with it."

Padmé frowned worriedly. "Well, are you sure that the Jedi—"

"If they have a problem with this, then it's their own fault. If they kick me out over this, then let them; I don't care." He kissed her temple. "If they ask me to choose between the Order and my family, I choose my family."

"I'd rather you not lose your place in the Order over this, but…" She hugged him tightly and tucked her head under his chin. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, Angel," he murmured and embraced her back.

"Let's go home now," she whispered.

"Sure thing," he smiled and fished out his comm-link to call Typho to come and get them.

_What a day,_ he sighed as he placed the call. _What a day. Too bad Obi-Wan missed it. I wonder what he's doing right now…?_


	30. 29: Unveiled

**Chapter 29  
**_Unveiled_

_I really wish that Anakin was here right now…_

Obi-Wan sighed deeply and shut the access door to the tiny engineering compartment of the _Rust Bucket_ and trudged back to the cockpit of the aging shuttle. He was a decent mechanic, but this ship needed Anakin's genius touch and a thorough overhaul. Quick fixes wouldn't keep this ship running for much longer. But the old junker had a few good trips let in it, and that was all he needed.

Slumping back into the pilot's seat, he double-checked the countdown from reversion out of hyperspace. _Five minutes, _he sighed. _I almost wish it was longer._

With Anakin's location confirmed, it was time that he reported back to Sanctuary. He planned to stay there for several months, to fill his seat on the Council for a while and to make more significant repairs to the ship. After that, it would be back to freelance piloting until the shuttle needed Anakin's help, and then he would put in for a more lengthy stay on Xendiir.

The console chimed as the countdown ran out and Obi-Wan pulled back the hyperspace lever. The distortion of hyperspace melted back into the usual starscape, marred only by the massive, rainbow-colored Shroud Nebula. Gripping the steering yoke, Obi-Wan aimed the groaning _Rust Bucket_ towards the thinnest point of the enormous stellar gas cloud and plunged right through.

For nearly a half hour he swam through the gaseous soup before he reached the clear space of the Sanctuary star system. Then it was another twenty minutes before he was close enough to hail the primitive communications that the Jedi Remnant had rigged up. And after that, it was about ten minutes until he touched down.

_Well this is going to be fun._ He abandoned Siri's fly scrap heap and began the short hike to the settlement. Soon he would be back with his remaining Jedi brothers and sisters, and he wasn't sure if their animosity concerning his association with "Vader" had dissipated yet.

Cresting the small rise that separated the landing fields from the ramshackle settlement, he paused to survey it. The shabby tent city that served the Remnant as home looked pretty much the same as the last time he'd laid eyes on it. There were a few new prefabricated temporary buildings, and the comm tower was taller, but that was about it.

Taking a steadying breath, he marched to and through the camp towards the cave on the far side where the High Council met. But he didn't make it there. He was delayed by a distraction.

Specifically, he was stopped short by the sight of Jedi Master Quinlan Vos trailing behind a toddler.

_Well this is…interesting._ Obi-Wan blinked. _Is Quin…babysitting?_

It certainly looked that way. The Kiffar Jedi had his dark eyes fixed on the tiny child who was wobbling determinedly away. He really didn't see what else his old friend could be doing.

"Quin," Obi-Wan murmured quietly as he moved to the other Jedi's side. "What are you doing?"

"Watching my son," Quinlan replied.

"Oh," Obi-Wan nodded. Then he frowned. _Wait a…minute…_ "Your son?"

"Yes," Quinlan nodded, his eyes never leaving the tiny boy for an instant. "His name is Korto."

Obi-Wan could only stare at the child, who had squatted down to examine a very interesting rock on the ground. Shaking his head in disbelief, he walked around to crouch in front of the boy to get a better look at him. Sure enough, the boy appeared to be a Kiffar like Quinlan, he even had the same yellow stripe over his cheeks and across the bridge of his nose. Obi-Wan was no expert on gauging the age of small children, but he could at least tell that this boy was younger than Luke and Leia by several months to perhaps a year.

Korto looked up from his fascinating rock and stared at Obi-Wan with dark, serious eyes. Then the boy walked a bit unsteadily up to him and poked at his beard curiously with his tiny hands. Obi-Wan struggled not to cringe when he found that the child's hands were sticky from being sucked on.

"Hello there," Obi-Wan greeted politely, leaning back to escape the spit-slimy hands.

"Hi," Korto replied gravely.

"How old is he?" Obi-Wan asked as he stood up.

"He'll be two in a few months," Quinlan answered.

_Anakin and Padmé have Quin beat. The twins are nearly a full year older than Korto._ "He wasn't here the last time I was on Sanctuary." Obi-Wan stroked thoughtfully at his beard. "Or, did I just not see him?"

"No, he's only recently come here," Quinlan replied. "It took a while for me to convince Khaleen to move here."

"Khaleen?" Obi-Wan tilted his head questioningly.

"My girlfriend," Quinlan supplied.

Obi-Wan blinked. "Oh."

"She has purple hair, you know," Siri added, appearing out of a nearby shack with Noma the Kaminoan baby balanced on her hip.

"So what if she dyes her hair purple," Quinlan frowned. "It's her favorite color."

"I bet she'd like to steal Master Windu's lightsaber then," Siri grinned. "Hi, Obi-Wan!"

"Hello Siri," Obi-Wan smiled slightly. "How have you been?"

"All right," she smiled. "A little restless at times, but I'll live. How's my shuttle?"

"Miserable," Obi-Wan groaned. "Every day or so I have to patch something up on it. The thing is in desperate need of a serious overhaul. Really, Siri, what did you see in it?"

"It never had that many problems when I flew it," Siri frowned. "What sort of abuse are you subjecting my ship to, Obi-Wan?"

"Nothing," he protested. "I just fly it."

She narrowed her eyes skeptically. "Sure…"

"I just fly it," he repeated.

"Enough Siri," Quinlan grumbled and scooped up Korto before the boy could wander off. "Welcome back to Sanctuary, Obi-Wan."

"Thank you," Obi-Wan smiled; grateful both for the welcome, and for ending Siri's teasing.

"The Council will convene in a few hours," Quinlan informed him while trying to hold on to his squirming son. "You can make your report then."

"Excellent," Obi-Wan nodded. _I certainly have a lot to say._

"Well boys, I'm off to the refectory to see if they've made anything edible today," Siri announced. "I will see you later."

As she marched off, Noma peered over her shoulder with his enormous black eyes and waved at them.

Obi-Wan chuckled a little and shook his head. _Cute._ "So she's still taking care of that baby."

"Yes," Quinlan muttered.

"Down!" Korto complained loudly.

Quinlan reluctantly put the boy down and was forced to follow him again as the child toddled off in a new direction. "I don't know how she does it. The only time she doesn't look after Noma is when she's sitting on the Council."

"I never pegged Siri as the maternal type," Obi-Wan remarked as he paced alongside his old friend. "But sometimes people can surprise you. All she needed was a helpless infant to bring her mothering side out. Perhaps she'll even keep Noma on as an apprentice."

"It's looking that way," Quinlan agreed.

Korto fixated on a large green beetle and awkwardly chased the insect around, never getting anywhere near close enough to catch it.

"I'm a little out of my depth here," Quinlan admitted quietly as he kept his eyes locked on his son. "I want to be a good father to him, Kiffar tradition demands that I take responsibility for properly guiding him through life…but I was raised primarily as a Jedi, and I worry that that will get in the way."

Obi-Wan stroked his beard thoughtfully. "The best advice I can give is to do what you feel is right. Your girlfriend is still around, isn't she?"

"Yes, though her presence bothers many of the other Jedi as she isn't Force-sensitive." Quinlan sighed. "Khaleen doesn't like it here very much. She's been trying to get on one of the supply run ships just to feel like she's doing something, accomplishing something."

"So long as the majority of the Council finds her trustworthy, I don't see why she can't do shopping runs for the Order," Obi-Wan shrugged.

"The fact that she's allowed to live here with me should mark her as trustworthy to the rest of the Order, but not a single crew is willing to let her work with them." Quinlan brushed his black dreadlocks out of his eyes. "It's got her frustrated and more restless than she already is."

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan sighed.

Korto finally gave up on his beetle hunt and trudged back to his father. "Up!" he demanded with raised arms.

Quinlan scooped him up with one arm. "I know."

"Well—"

"What have we here?" a most unwelcome voice asked.

Obi-Wan felt his muscles tense up. "What do you want, Bruck?"

"I want to know what makes you think you can show your face here again," Bruck sneered, slinking out from behind the trunk of a primitive fern-tree.

"I am still a member of the High Council," Obi-Wan replied, "so my presence is required here from time to time."

"We'll see how long that lasts," Bruck taunted before stalking away.

Obi-Wan glared at his retreating back. _I don't want to wish ill on a fellow Jedi, but…why couldn't he have died in the purges? Things would certainly be a lot simpler if he had._

"It's said that some things get better with time," Quinlan frowned. "Too bad he's not one of them."

"Yes," Obi-Wan agreed.

Korto chose that moment to yawn noisily and snuggle into his father's shoulder.

"Hm." Quinlan glanced down at his son. "How about I show you around my little hovel? I don't believe you had a chance to see it the last time that you were here."

"Sure," Obi-Wan chuckled, "why not?" _What a convenient way to avoid saying "nap" in front of a sleepy child…_

"Excellent," Quinlan grinned. "This way."

_This ought to be interesting._ Obi-Wan smiled faintly as he followed Quinlan's lead. _And I should take notes. I'll probably have to build one for myself one day…_

* * *

Darra settled back in her seat and stretched wearily as she graded the last of her papers. Recently she'd been drafted as a teacher's aide when she was on-planet by the aging Rodian, Master Greetz. So when she wasn't off with Ferus collecting essential supplies for their isolated refugee camp, she was helping the arthritic Jedi teach his classes and grade youngling's homework assignments.

Shuffling the cheap sheets of paper into a neat stack, she set the pile at the top corner of her crooked desk and silently declared her teacherly duties done for the day. She lurched out of her beat up chair and stretched more, reaching her hands towards the ceiling and arching her back until she felt a satisfying pop. Then she twisted from side to side and rolled her shoulders to relieve the tension that had crept into her frame while she'd hunched over her work for the past hour and a half.

Along with her rickety desk with one leg slightly shorter than the others and her swivel chair which no longer swiveled without making a terrible squeaking sound, the rest of her home was just as broken down and imperfect. The mattress that she slept on was the same one that Ferus had liberated from a trash heap, thrown out because of mild water damage. The floor she walked on was hard-packed dirt. The walls around her and the roof over her head were cobbled together sheets of corrugated durasteel, and it was only enough to form one medium-sized room. There were no windows in her hovel, only a door covered by a shredded cloth. There was no private, indoor refresher, just a communal latrine and a nearby pond to bathe in. Basically, her current living accommodations were a far cry from the simple, but very comfortable halls of the Jedi Temple in which she had grown up.

Darra sighed in contentment as a pair of callused hands slipped around her waist and pulled her into a hard, bare chest. "Hey, Ferus," she smiled. "Your shift's over?"

"Yep," he confirmed, wearily resting his forehead on her shoulder.

Now that the Council felt that the majority of the surviving Jedi Order had been located, if not brought directly to Sanctuary, it was time to make more long-term living arrangements. Living on the surface of the planet in primitive hovels and shacks wouldn't do for much longer. So the Council had determined that they would dig and underground complex for the Jedi to live in and underground hangers to hide their ships from any prying eyes that might somehow stumble over their hidden home.

A few of the roving Knights had managed to dig up some ancient excavation droids that were being sold for scrap. With a lot of ingenuity, the clunky behemoths were up and running again and doing most of the major digging. Most of the young, healthy Knights and Masters who didn't have any essential duties like teaching, healing, or cooking to perform were drafted in shifts to supervise the droids and do the more specialized digging and building. But even with this rigorous schedule, draft, and the droids, it was predicted that the complex wouldn't be ready for habitation for at least a year.

_Poor Ferus,_ she grinned and patted his head. "Need a nap?"

"Yeah," he yawned.

"Okay," she giggled and led him over to the mattress.

It was a very unsophisticated bed. Just a mattress laid on top of a small tarp to keep the bottom dry and free of mildew and rot. And on top of that were a few mismatched sheets and some lumpy pillows.

Everything the Jedi Order had now was used, cheap, or both.

Ferus collapsed onto the mattress with a noisy sigh. He was shirtless from his shift digging and this time he'd remembered to clean up before coming home. But his boots were a muddy disaster and he hadn't taken them off yet. Rolling her eyes, she pulled them off for him to keep the bed from getting dirty.

"Mmm, sleep," Ferus mumbled, well on his way to dreamland.

Darra giggled, stepped out of her own boots, and snuggled up beside Ferus on the bed. She wasn't particularly tired, but an extra nap now couldn't hurt later. Besides, Ferus could be quite cuddly.

They hadn't originally lived together when they'd first come to Sanctuary. At first, she had crashed in a communal bunkhouse thrown together for female Jedi. Ferus either slept on the shuttle or curled up on the floor of the male Jedi bunkhouse between supply runs.

But after they'd come to an…understanding, they'd pooled their time, energy, and ingenuity to build their own private hovel home. At first, the only furniture had been the bed, but when Darra landed her teacher's aide position, Ferus managed to track down an old desk and chair for her use. Next time they went out on a run, Darra had plans to look up a trunk to store their extra clothes and equipment in.

Some of the older, more traditional Jedi gave them suspicious or disapproving looks for moving in together. Some of the younger, more opened-minded Jedi followed their example, or seemed to be thinking about it. But since the Council hadn't condemned their behavior, Darra didn't care and neither did Ferus.

With a yawn, Darra closed her eyes and made herself comfortable. Ferus was fast asleep now, snoring softly every now and then. He would be out for a couple hours at least.

_Hopefully he'll be recharged enough for a little hike out to the Serpent Rocks for a little fun this evening…_

* * *

As early evening rolled around, Obi-Wan finally came to stand before the High Council inside the crystal-lit cavern. Most of the seats were filled this time, save for Master Yoda's chair and his own. The rest of the Council – Mace Windu, Shaak Ti, Luminara Unduli, Siri Tachi, Tholme, Bultar Swan, Nejaa Halcyon, Quinlan Vos, Pablo-Jill, and An'ya Kuro (the Dark Woman) – sat in their seats and fixed their eyes upon him.

"Welcome back, Obi-Wan," Mace greeted. "What do you have to report?"

"Firstly, I have located Padmé Amidala's new residence in exile. She holds ties to the secret underground movement called the Alliance to Restore the Republic. This movement is supported by several notable Senators and former Senators, including Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and Garm bel Iblis. If we wish to support them, or them to support us, Lady Amidala would be our contact.

"Secondly, I have managed to find Anakin Skywalker. He has recently relocated to Lady Amidala's household and will remain there until further notice as his presence further supports Lady Amidala's cover identity. Also, he provides her extra security and acts as a teacher for the various young Force-sensitives who live in her home.

"As to the young Force-sensitives Lady Amidala shelters, there are currently four of them. Two are her own very young children. The third is an orphaned Najiimite child. And the fourth is Jedi Padawan Zett Jukassa.

"Finally, I have begun to hear whispers in the port dives and cantinas. There are no specific details, but the rumors suggest that the Emperor is going to do something significant and soon. It's implied that he will reveal some sort of lieutenant or enforcer of some kind. I believe this means that Sidious will soon publicly reveal his new apprentice."

Having spoken his report, Obi-Wan took a deep breath, settled down on his boulder of a seat, and awaited the Council's reactions. It didn't take very long at all.

"We have heard similar rumors that appear to point towards the unveiling of a new apprentice," Master Tholme confirmed. "Though we have no details, no dates, and no name at this time. We also have a report from Knight Thel-Tannis that she was attacked by a dark presence during a risky deep meditation on a supply run returning from Roon." He sighed. "The Purge has decimated my little ring of Jedi spies. They were probably next on Sidious's hit list after Council members. It will be a long time before we get any reliable lines of information – if we ever do – again."

"Which is an excellent reason for investigating this 'Alliance to Restore the Republic'," Nejaa mused. "If we make the right sort of ties with them, their information will be out information; much better than depending on rumors fished out of seedy dives."

"Agreed," Luminara nodded.

"While this matter is of great importance, there is another matter which I find most worrisome," Master Kuro interrupted. She fixed her cold eyes on Obi-Wan. "What possessed you to leave four impressionable younglings – an alien child, the children of an allied former Senator, and a Jedi Padawan – in the company of a questionable individual with ties to the Sith?"

"Anakin would never hurt any of those children, nor would he corrupt them," Obi-Wan replied stiffly. "And if Lady Amidala even so much as suspected he was negatively influencing her children, she would throw him out herself."

"Not to insult Lady Amidala's intelligence, but what does she know about the nature of the Force, and of the Jedi and the Sith?" Master Kuro inquired. "What makes her so qualified to judge the quality and content of her children's training?"

"The Sith are masters of deception and manipulations," Pablo-Jill pointed out. "Darth Sidious's rise to power and our blindness to it is an example of this. If he could deceive the entire Republic, the Confederacy, and the Jedi, what's to say that a single Dark Side adept could deceive a single woman?"

"Lady Amidala is an intelligent and strong-willed woman," Obi-Wan responded. "While she was manipulated by Sidious early in her life, she came to see him more for what he was and now is making efforts to work against him. She is immune to mind tricks, and as a mother, she is alert to danger towards her offspring and will do anything to protect them."

"The only way to protect a child from the Dark Side is to isolate him or her from it, not place him or her in direct contact with an agent of it," Master Kuro scowled. "Your actions in this case are reckless. He must be removed from Lady Amidala's household and the children must be brought here for their own protection and to properly train them."

"Even Senator Amidala's children?" Obi-Wan blinked.

"Yes," Master Kuro nodded sharply.

"What if she refuses to surrender her children?" Obi-Wan asked warily.

"You are the Negotiator," Master Kuro reminded him, "and she respects your opinions. Persuade her that it is in the best interests of the children that they come here."

Obi-Wan had to work to keep his temper in check. "I would only do that if I truly felt that was in the best interests of her children, and I do not. They, and the other two children, are perfectly safe where they are."

"I was unaware that Senator Amidala had children," Nejaa cut in before Master Kuro could fire off a sharp retort. "How old are they?"

"They're about two and a half now," Obi-Wan answered.

"Both of them?" Bultar Swan frowned slightly.

"Yes," Obi-Wan nodded, "they're fraternal twins."

"And they're both Force-sensitive?" Mace inquired.

"Yes," Obi-Wan confirmed.

"But…how is that possible?" Shaak Ti wondered, tugging thoughtfully on one of her striped head tentacles. "In cases of twins – even identical twins – one child is sensitive to the Force and the other isn't."

"What were their midi-chlorian counts?" Luminara asked curiously.

"Lady Amidala didn't know the exact numbers off-hand, but compared to the acceptable range for the Jedi Order, her daughter is of average-to-high sensitivity and her son is of high sensitivity," Obi-Wan explained.

"Do you know if Force-sensitivity runs in Lady Amidala's family?" Master Tholme inquired after a long pause.

"I don't believe so," Obi-Wan replied after some thought. "She never made any remarks that would lead me to believe that she has any Force-sensitive relatives."

"Who is the father?" Siri wondered.

Obi-Wan had to fight the strong urge to fidget. "Anakin is."

Siri managed to choke on air. "_What_?"

"Are you serious?" Nejaa sputtered.

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "Would I make this up?"

"Then the situation is worse than I thought," Master Kuro scowled darkly. "What better pawns could a potential Sith ask for than his own children?"

"Please refrain from making such insinuations until you have met the man in question," Nejaa scolded, beating Obi-Wan to the punch.

"What is Anakin Skywalker's midi-chlorian count?" Quinlan asked, heading off Master Kuro again.

There was a long silence that was eventually broken by Shaak Ti. "We never tested him. He was obviously Force-sensitive with, at the least, the midi-chlorian count of an average Knight, if not higher. When he was first brought to us, he was so paranoid and untrusting, we refrained from doing any tests on him that were not absolutely necessary."

"So you never got around to testing him," Master Kuro sneered. "Now we have an even less clear picture of what we are dealing with."

Mace irritably knocked his walking stick against the stone floor. "Master Kuro, if we could move away from the subject of Anakin Skywalker's true affiliation and loyalties for just a few moments—"

"Masters!" a Knight breathlessly broke in as he stumbled into the cavern. He staggered to the center of the half-circle of seats and paused to catch his breath. Obi-Wan curiously noted that he had a half-crumpled news-fax clutched in one hand. "Forgive my interruption, but I have important news."

"Proceed," Mace invited with a wave of his staff.

"I was just on Chandrila, investigating what became of Senator Mothma and trying to gather more information on the Empire's dealings," the Knight explained. "The Emperor has done it, he's revealed his new apprentice." He handed Mace the wrinkled paper. "I headed back here as soon as the story broke."

Mace studied the news-fax grimly in the poor light. "'Emperor Palpatine Unveils New Right Hand'," He read off the headline. "Darth Traytus," he announced after skimming through the article for a name.

"Does it give any details?" Nejaa inquired.

"No," Mace sighed. "Nothing of use to us, anyway." He set the paper aside for further study later. "Now that Sidious has revealed his new apprentice, it is our mission to learn as much about him as possible. We are at war for our survival, and it is essential that we know our enemies."

Obi-Wan nodded grimly in agreement. _If we don't find out his weak points, we will never defeat him. And if we can't defeat him, then we will never defeat Sidious…_


	31. 30: Traditions

**Chapter 30  
**_Traditions_

Her name had once been An'ya Kuro. But, in order to be a more perfect servant of the Force, she had relinquished all attachments, most notably her birth name. If the others had to call her anything, she would prefer that they call her the Dark Woman. However, since being drafted onto the High Council, many had resurrected her old name. Perhaps they found the designation Dark Woman too forbidding to use on a regular basis.

She stood on the Sands, patches of bare, sandy soil south of the Order's encampment, with her lightsaber drawn and lit. Standing perfectly still, she waited until the moment felt absolutely right. And when it did, her blue blade was a blur of motion as she ran through every exercise she knew in a matter of minutes.

For nearly a century she had been the Force's willing servant. Through exhaustive meditation and rigorous training she had honed herself into the Force's living weapon. And in return, the Force had kept her healthy, vibrant, almost young-looking. Only her snow-white hair and the faint crow's feet around her eyes betrayed the depth of her true age.

She had never sought a seat on the High Council. She preferred the more nomadic existence that she had led before the outbreak of the Clone Wars. With no responsibilities to hold her, she could roam wherever the Force led her, and do Its will. But now, with the Order so reeling, so hurt, so desperately lost, she had acquiesced to the other Masters' pleas and joined them in leading the Jedi Remnant.

It was a decision she was beginning to regret. They did not understand. They were blind. And their blindness made them fools. Well-meaning fools, but fools nonetheless.

Only Master Yoda had greater skill than she in reading the currents of the Force to divine Its will and even see the possible futures. But Master Yoda wasn't on Sanctuary. He had gone to Dagobah in self-imposed exile and refused to be disturbed unless it was an emergency. She wished that he was here now. Perhaps she could talk some sense into him. She had certainly been failing with the rest of the Council.

How they could be so blindly, naïvely trusting of Vader she did not know. He had been immersed in Darkness for two years before coming to the Jedi. Then he was allowed nearly free reign in the Jedi Temple, without being held accountable for upholding his promises to them for twice as long. And somehow his mediocre war service had earned him the full trust of the Council.

If they had wanted their little plan with Vader to work, they should have given him to her. She could've kept him to task. She could've trained him properly, hammered out the numerous flaws and weaknesses in him to forge him into something worthy of the title of Jedi Knight. She could've purged the Darkness from him, as she had helped many other young Jedi who found themselves slipping into Shadow and come to her for help.

She had been the last hope for many. She had helped A'Sharad Hett when he realized that his need to avenge his father's murder was leading him down a dangerous road. She had Bruck Chun out of the maze-like Shadows where the corrupt Xanatos duCrion had led him. She had trained many Padawans in her years, and discovered younglings that the Order had missed.

True, she had suffered some failures, most notably Aurra Sing. But it was not wholly her failing with that one. Aurra Sing was deeply flawed and probably should never have been brought to the Jedi. Despite her best efforts, the child had never risen to the challenge of her training, and allowed her flaws to consume her, transforming her into a bounty hunter and assassin whose favorite prey were Jedi.

They should have given Vader to her, but instead allowed the Sith's pawn to choose his own mentor. And the boy chose most craftily. He chose Obi-Wan Kenobi, a well-intentioned Knight, but far too soft and lenient to handle such a dangerous ward. And the Council had allowed in, as if they were oblivious to the risks.

Her blade stilled and she stood, breathing calmly as her heart rate slowed back to its resting rate. Above her, the steel blue sky was slowly being obscured by dark clouds. The air grew cool and wet. It would rain soon.

The Shroud Nebula kept prying eyes from peering into its heart, but well-trained eyes could still look out. The odd distortion provided by the nebula made meaningful meditation difficult, but she was experienced and she was patient. And so, with much effort, she peered through the Darkened Force. What she found did not bode well for anyone.

If Vader had been dangerous before when he was merely a slippery Sith pawn, he was doubly so now as a false Knight. She could See it. He would rot the Order from within, like a malignant tumor. He would corrupt the younglings, the Knights, even the Masters. He would erase the ancient traditions of the Jedi, break the rules that had governed them for thousands of years, and he would smash the Code into dust. When he was finished, the Jedi would be little better than the Sith. And the Council would welcome all his destruction with open arms and reward him. She could See it. She _had _Seen it.

The woman who had once been known as An'ya Kuro stared down at the intricate vine-like patterns that decorated her saber hilt. A chilled wind brushed past her and thunder rumbled. And then the skies opened up to release a torrent of cold rain.

_He will destroy us more thoroughly than Darth Sidious or Darth Traytus ever could…_

* * *

Ferus sighed in contentment as he rested on the springy pile of dried fern fronds and water reeds. The hissing sound of the pouring rain drifted down the cave tunnel, sounding almost hollow as it echoed against the stone walls. It was getting to be the rainy season on this area of Sanctuary and many more heavy rains like this one could expected in the months to come.

"That's some rain," he murmured.

"Mmm," Darra sighed sleepily and snuggled against his shoulder.

"I'm glad we're in here," he chuckled. "The roof on our little shack is kind of leaky."

Their current location was not on the fringes of the Jedi encampment, but nearly two miles north in a cave in the heart of the Serpent Rocks, a small boulder-strewn region dotted with small natural caves and narrow tunnels. He'd discovered the area a few weeks after first coming to Sanctuary during a hike to escape his thoughts. Originally he'd come out to the desolate region to get away and be alone. Now he traveled to his favorite cave for far different reasons.

Darra slipped one slender hand underneath his thin shirt and traced her fingertips along the contours of his chest and abdominal muscles. Warm electricity crackled through him, under her touch, and he sighed shakily. It was amazing to him how something as simple as a touch from her hand could make him feel the way that it did.

"That feels nice," he mumbled as his pulse sped up a notch.

She shifted closer and smiled into his neck. "I know."

And she did know. After Darra's unintended brush with the Dark mind during mediations on the way back from Roon, they'd mentally bonded. A spontaneous bonding, very unlike what they were familiar with from their training bonds with their former Masters. They were both equal in this bond; neither was stronger than the other.

This bond certainly had its advantages. It was much easier to communicate silently, an advantage in dangerous or potentially dangerous situations. And it allowed them to work more closely and efficiently together, as they didn't have to waste time talking about things.

But there were some disadvantages. Sometimes their thoughts, feelings, and daydreams would leak through the bond, causing distraction. It was also hard to hide things, like secrets or surprises. There wasn't much mental privacy left either.

Darra's light touch grew more and more distracting with each passing moment and he couldn't quite manage enough clear thought to decide if he wanted her to stop or keep going. But soon she tired of tickling his chest and her fingertips drifted lower and lower. When she reached the ties of his pants, he started to panic a bit.

"Darra!" he squeaked.

"Relax," she grumbled and moved her hand to rest on his stomach, still under his shirt. "You big baby."

"I am not a baby," he scowled.

"Yes you are," she snorted. "I can kiss you senseless, but the instant I make so much as a move to get you out of your pants you freak out. Honestly, Ferus, what are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid," he grumbled. "I'm just…nervous."

She scoffed at him. "Nervous? If you were just nervous, you would've gotten over it weeks ago." She propped herself up on an elbow. "What, are you afraid I won't be impressed with what I find when I finally get your pants off?"

He gaped at her, speechless. _(I can't believe you said that!)_

"Is that why?" she asked, a flush of embarrassment at her own boldness creeping into her cheeks as her mind caught up with her mouth. _(Answer the question.)_

"I haven't honestly thought about that," he swallowed.

"Then what's the problem?" She rolled over to straddle his stomach. "You're driving my crazy here, Ferus!"

It took him a while to answer her. She was wearing the patched up outer tunic of her Jedi robes with only her bra on underneath, and the way that she was sitting on him gave him a very good view of her breasts. And so his mind continually skidded down into the gutter as he struggled to put together his response.

"I just…I just don't know enough about…it…to feel comfortable doing it, that's all," he muttered.

"What, you want to do a research paper on sex before you try it out for yourself?" She shook her head.

"I've also heard some conflicting information about it," he added, trying desperately to keep from staring too obviously down her tunic.

"It's not like I know much more about sex than you do," she shrugged, nervous. "But," she gathered up her nerve, "we could figure it out together you know."

His face burned and a slew of less than clean thoughts exploded in his mind. "There…there are…consequences…if we don't figure out some things…like birth control. You could get pregnant if we're not careful."

"There you go again, Ferus," she sighed. "Always worrying."

"This is serious, Darra!" he frowned. "You've seen how most of the others look down Master Vos and his girlfriend for having a child together. How much worse do you think it will be if two Jedi have a baby? And more importantly, I really don't think that we'd be ready to handle a baby." He half-propped himself up on his elbows and fixed her with a serious look. "Do you know anything about taking care of a newborn baby, Darra? I know I don't."

"Oh, this conversation it getting _way_ too serious," she moaned. "All I wanted to know was why you won't go past taking your shirt off with me and you have to go and bring up babies!"

He shrugged. "Well, every action has some consequence to it, and it's best that we know what those consequences are before we go and do something rash and get caught off-guard."

She shook her head at him. "Only you, Ferus Olin, could recite some old Jedi lesson while I'm sitting on top of you and giving you a clear view of my cleavage." _(Yes, Ferus, I know you've been staring at my breasts this whole time, and if it bothered me, I would never have let you get more than a glimpse of them.)_

His face burned and their little cavern suddenly felt warm and stuffy despite the raging storm outside. "Uh…"

She laughed at him for a moment and then kissed him soundly for a minute or two. "You're driving me crazy, Ferus," she panted. "But you're right. Just let me know when you've figured this sex thing out, okay?"

"Yeah." He chewed at his lip thoughtfully for a bit. "Tell you what. We're scheduled to make a supply run in a few days. While we're out, we'll get that trunk for our stuff and…and I'll…pick up some condoms."

Darra flashed him a bright smile and hugged him tightly. "Thank you very much, Ferus! You're the best!"

"You're welcome," he grinned weakly and laid back down on the make-shift bed of fern fronds. She pushed up his shirt and started to kiss his chest. "Oh…you're _very_ welcome…"

* * *

Thunder crashed overhead, making little Korto whimper and bury his face in his mother's shoulder. Baby Noma Su wasn't the least bit bothered by the noise or the drips of rain that leaked through the roof. In fact, he was asleep in Siri's lap, completely oblivious to the storm that rattled the building around them.

Obi-Wan glanced around the spacious shack in quiet dismay as he counted all the buckets and overturned helmets that were scattered over the floor to catch the numerous trickles of water. This structure was the closest thing the Jedi camp had to a bar. It was filled with cheap tables and chairs and in the corner were a few crates of bottled alcoholic beverages and snacks. The room was lit by primitive oil lamps that had been converted to run on a type of plant oil that was derived from the fern-palm trees that covered Sanctuary.

The single generator could only produce so much electricity, and it was all taken up by essential equipment like the comm tower that relayed comm-link signals and contacted star ships. That meant that there was no power to spare for any of the hovels or shacks, not even the group houses or this "bar." So there were no electrical lights, and no cooler to refrigerate the drinks.

After another long and frustrating meeting with the High Council, Siri had picked up Noma from the much reduced crèche and brought him to the common building most called The Big Shack. Quinlan, Korto, and his purple-haired girlfriend, Khaleen Hentz were already present, sitting at a well-worn table in the corner farthest from the entrance. And not long after Siri had brought Obi-Wan and Noma inside, Garen had scampered in just ahead of the downpour.

"I guess Ferus isn't coming," Obi-Wan sighed as he glanced towards the doorway and the rain coming down in sheets.

"Even if it wasn't raining I don't think he'd come," Siri frowned.

Obi-Wan blinked. "Oh?"

"He spends all his free time with Darra Thel-Tannis these days," Siri sniffed. "I barely ever see him anymore."

"I think it's cute that Ferus has such a nice girlfriend," Khaleen grinned and rubbed Korto's back soothingly.

Obi-Wan choked on his lukewarm drink. "_What_?"

"I can't see what else they can be," Khaleen shrugged. "They moved in together a few months back and the only reason I can see for them to do that is intimacy and privacy."

Obi-Wan shook his head in utter disbelief. "Ferus? With Darra? I'm sorry but I'm having trouble seeing it." _And I was under the impression that Darra had some kind of unrequited crush on Anakin._

"Well you haven't been around enough to see it," Quinlan replied and sipped at his drink. "Ugh, this stuff really needs to be chilled."

"I guess so," Obi-Wan blinked.

"I didn't want to believe it either, but it's impossible to ignore," Siri grumbled. "I've even caught them kissing in their little private shack a few times," she added disgustedly.

Obi-Wan tapped his finger against his drink bottle. "I take it that you do not approve of their behavior."

"Ferus is no longer my Padawan. He's a Jedi Knight. I have no control over what he does anymore." Siri sighed and tossed back a gulp of her drink, making a face at the temperature of it.

"That would be a no," Garen translated helpfully.

Obi-Wan studied Siri for a moment. "I think you should cut Ferus a little slack."

"Why?" Siri glared.

"Is his relationship interfering with his assigned duties?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No," Siri admitted. "Darra keeps up with her work too."

"Well then I see no problem with what he's doing," he shrugged and braced himself for the explosion.

"How can you say that?" Siri hissed, mindful of the sleeping baby in her lap. "His emotional attachment to her is a violation of the Code! And if he goes further with her and fathers a child, it would be like spitting on the Code! It's all so unlike him."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "And what about _your_ emotional attachment to Noma?"

"What do you mean?" Siri frowned warily and rested her hand on Noma's back in a vaguely protective gesture.

"Noma isn't your child, he's not even of your species, yet you persist in raising him yourself. If you held to Jedi tradition, you should've given him over to the crèche and left him there. Yet you only put him in the crèche when meeting with the Council or exercising." Obi-Wan shot her a stern look. "Tell me, Siri, how is your violation of the Code any better than Ferus's?"

"He's got a point," Quinlan remarked when Siri didn't immediately respond.

Siri shook her head. "Fine, I'm guilty. But attachment isn't what really worries me about what Ferus is doing. It's bad enough that two Jedi are in a romantic relationship, but if she gets pregnant… Well it would be ten times worse than what Quin and Khaleen did in having Korto." She shot the couple an apologetic look. "Not that it bothers me—I think Korto's a really cute kid. But everyone else…"

"Things aren't the same as when we were young, Siri," Obi-Wan sighed. "I really don't think the Order can afford to cling to some of the old ways anymore."

"What are you suggesting?" Siri demanded. "That all Jedi pair up and shack up together? That we should come up with some sort of breeding program?"

"No, I wouldn't go that far," Obi-Wan frowned. "I'm only saying that if a Jedi does conceive a child, with another Jedi or a civilian, that they shouldn't be penalized for it." He took another sip of his drink. "Tell me, how many children are in the crèche now?"

"Not many," Quin replied. "Korto and Noma are only there part of the time, and there are only five others; all toddlers, no infants. They're the only survivors their age from the Temple. No new children besides Noma have been found."

"So the question becomes: where will we get new children to teach?" Obi-Wan glanced around the table. "Any thoughts?"

"Once we finished getting settled here, why not just do what we've always done? Find Force-sensitive children and bring them here." Garen shrugged. "I can't see why the parents would complain. Sending the children with us would be much better than handing them over to the Empire to be corrupted or killed."

"It would be years before we could even attempt to do that, Garen," Obi-Wan replied. "It'll be a year, maybe two, before the underground facilities are completed and we acquire more powerful generators. And even then, the priority for leaving Sanctuary will to be to acquire money, to acquire supplies, and to acquire information. Acquiring new children would fit in as a distant fourth."

"I know you do a lot of traveling, Garen," Khaleen added, "and I can't believe you haven't noticed the anti-Jedi propaganda that the Empire is spewing. They paint you all as traitorous, baby-stealing monsters. What parent would hand over their child to the Jedi if they believed that? And even if they didn't believe it, being a Jedi is an offense punishable by death."

"That pretty much kills any hope of gaining children from outside the Order," Obi-Wan remarked. "So the only real option we have is to train Jedi offspring, like Korto, and Luke and Leia."

"Who and who?" Khaleen blinked. A spectacular clap of thunder made Korto start wailing and she calmly bounced him in her lap until he calmed down again.

"Anakin's children," Obi-Wan explained.

"Anakin's children?" Garen sputtered. "When did he have kids?"

"This is information known only to the Council, Garen," Obi-Wan warned. "Don't go running around and telling everyone about this."

"Right, right," Garen agreed. "So when did he have these kids?"

"He's got Quin and Khaleen beat by several months," Obi-Wan smiled slightly.

"How did he manage that?" Quin frowned.

"Completely by accident," Obi-Wan snorted.

"Well we figured that," Garen replied. "Give us some details."

Obi-Wan shifted uneasily in his seat. "It's…very complicated. And I'm not sure what parts he wants known and what parts he'd rather keep to himself. So I'll just leave it to him to explain."

"Great," Garen pouted. "Then we'll never hear anything."

Obi-Wan shrugged, pulled out a small holo-projector from his pocket, and set it on the table to display a small image of the Skywalker twins.

"Oh, they're so cute!" Khaleen grinned. "Aren't they?" she asked Quinlan, who nodded in agreement.

"Very cute," Siri agreed as she studied the image of the two toddlers hugging each other and smiling brightly. "I don't suppose we'll ever get to meet them."

"What makes you think that?" Obi-Wan inquired.

Noma started to stir in her lap and she gently shifted him to lean against her shoulder. "Considering the lingering negative opinion on Anakin, I can't see him bringing them here anytime soon, if ever."

"He probably won't come here unless he has to, true," Obi-Wan nodded. "But there's nothing stopping any of you from going to visit him. If you'd like, I can see about setting up some visits with him the next time I see him."

"That sounds like fun," Khaleen mused. "It'd be nice to get away from here for a week or so. And Korto would have a lot of fun playing with them."

"I'd certainly like to check this out for myself," Siri remarked. "And a chance of scenery would be nice."

"I'll think about it," Garen decided.

"All right," Obi-Wan nodded and retrieved the holo from the table. "I'll let him know."

Quinlan finished off his drink and gave Obi-Wan a smile that he didn't like the look of. "Since this let's-not-punish-Jedi-for-having-children is your idea, I nominate you to bring it before the Council tomorrow."

Obi-Wan paled slightly. "Master Kuro is going to kill me, you know."

Quin patted his shoulder consolingly. "Better you than me."

"Siri?" Obi-Wan looked over to her pleadingly.

"Hey, I've got a baby to take care of, just like Quin," Siri grinned.

"Don't even think of asking me," Garen grumbled. "I'm not on the Council and I'm not going to trudge down there, request and audience, and suggest it either."

"Great," Obi-Wan sighed and worked on finishing his drink. _I'm doomed._


	32. 31: Grandmaster

**Chapter 31  
**_Grandmaster_

Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably on his boulder chair in the High Council's cavern and made a note to himself to find a nice cushion to pad his seat with. The High Council had come into session an hour before primarily for the weekly reports on the progress of various projects. Normally such housekeeping meetings would've been taken care of by one of the three lesser Jedi councils (the Council of First Knowledge, the Council of Reconciliation, and the Reassignment Council), but with the fall of the Temple they had all been dissolved, leaving the High Council as the sole source of guidance for the members of the Order.

They first listened to progress reports from the pair of Masters in charge of overseeing the digging of the underground facilities. Then they spoke with the elderly Jedi who kept the Order's finances in order to see what new funds they had to work with. And then Master Tholme stood to give his status report on his few remaining Jedi spies and how his handful of new trainees were doing in their spy training.

After all of that, the floor was open for other business. Obi-Wan didn't really want to say anything, but if he didn't, he was certain that Master Kuro would jump in with some problem with Anakin or another Jedi and spend the rest of the session arguing about it. Besides, the issue that he had been unofficially charged with presenting was far more important than wasting time with Master Kuro pointing out every tiny fault that caught her notice.

"Masters, I must ask, are there any plans in regards to acquiring new younglings to train?" Obi-Wan asked.

His question was met with several minutes of silent.

"I suppose we could authorize the roaming Jedi to keep their eyes open for potential recruits," Shaak Ti suggested.

Quinlan Vos raised a dark eyebrow. "In addition to avoiding the notice of the Empire, earning money, and gathering supplies and information, they are to find children too?"

"And if they were to find a child we could teach, how could they persuade the parents to surrender it to us?" Siri added.

"A tall order to be sure," Master Tholme mused. "With all the anti-Jedi propaganda and legislation it's doubtful that we could gain so little as a handful of new Initiates."

Mace leaned his walking stick against his shoulder and gave Obi-Wan a searching look. "Have you another solution, Obi-Wan?"

_Well, here goes nothing…_ "I feel that the restrictions concerning Jedi and relationships with Jedi and non-Jedi should be relaxed, and that punishments for Jedi producing children should be reduced if not eliminated." As soon as he finished speaking, he braced himself for the backlash.

"Unacceptable!" Master Kuro snapped, her voice quiet but cold as her ice blue eyes.

"Quiet," Mace warned her. "Let Obi-Wan explain his rationale first before you attack his motion."

"Seeing as all but the odd orphan found wandering the streets is unavailable to us, the only other children we would be guaranteed access to would be our own," Obi-Wan explained. "Without children to train, the Order will wither and die. There is barely a handful of children in the crèche and only a few handfuls more who are full Initiates. Most of those who survived the Purges were Senior Padawans and older, and in a few decades most will be beyond their childbearing years. In a few more decades, the majority of the older Masters and Knights will have died. And after that only the Jedi belonging to long-lived species will remain. We have no idea how long we will be trapped in exile and we don't dare count on it being a short span of time. If we don't find new children, we're doomed."

"A well thought out point," Mace nodded. "Now, An'ya, your response?"

"Unacceptable," she repeated icily. "Those rules and regulations were instituted for several very good reasons. Revoking them, even temporarily, would be to take a step backwards in the evolution of the Jedi Order. Jedi are not to reproduce except to preserve their species because such behavior breeds jealousy, nepotism, favoritism, attachment, and dynasties. There is no room for such things in the Order. Welcoming them in this way leaves the Order vulnerable to rot from within, a much more insidious way for us to fall than withering away."

Master Kuro shifted stiffly on her rock seat. "Also, if we were to accept such measures, it would set us up for failure in defeating the Sith. Without the lack of trainable children we would be more apt to set aside our resistance of Darth Sidious and Traytus. Instead of striking out at the Sith once our position here is solidified, we would cower in our little holes nurturing our children and waiting for the 'perfect opportunity' that would more than likely never come to pass."

"That's a very narrow, negative view, Master Kuro," Quinlan remarked.

"Of course you would say such a thing," Master Kuro sniffed. "Not only is Master Kenobi your friend, but supporting his motion would erase your own suspended punishment for fathering a child."

"That's rather unfair, Master Kuro," Nejaa frowned.

"And you would benefit from this as well," Master Kuro retorted. "Your sins are even worse, you went so far as to secretly marry the mother of your son—a clear violation of the Code! Passing this motion would erase your own suspended sentence and give you a clear slate."

"Master Kuro," Mace growled warningly. "Please refrain from any more personal slights. Have you anything else to say?"

"Yes," she frowned. "If we pass this motion to remove the penalties for producing children and relax the restrictions on relationships, what's to stop us from going further? If we wish to produce children of our own, why not just set up a breeding program like zoos use to preserve endangered species? Perhaps we could breed more powerful Jedi, like a show breeder carefully crafts a strain of domesticated animal?"

"Enough An'ya! We get the point," Mace admonished. "Obi-Wan?"

Somehow Obi-Wan managed to unclench his jaw and give a civilized response. "The point of simply ending the punishment and relaxing the restrictions would enable the creation of Jedi-descended children, not force it. I would never support a decree from this Council that would force Jedi to breed children like animals. Children are not some product to be gained or fashioned, they are living, sentient beings to be taught, cared for, and protected. If a Jedi does not wish to mother or father a child, I support them. If a Jedi _does_ wish to have a child, I wish to make possible for them to do that without fear of punishment."

"A noble idea, I suppose," Master Kuro muttered dubiously. "But Jedi were forbidden such things for good reasons by ancient Master much wiser than we. It is not our place to cast away traditions that have so well protected us from our own emotional weaknesses and failings. No matter what the rationale, we must not permit this. Doing so _will_ destroy us. I will never support this motion, and if it is to pass and be accepted by the rest of the Order, the Council must be unanimous in this decision. May we move on to other business, Master Windu?"

Her casually arrogant dismissal made Obi-Wan seethe and he had to work to release his frustration lest it cloud his judgment and hurt his case. "Masters, what are your views?" he asked the others curiously.

"I support this motion," Quinlan replied. "Not only do I agree with Obi-Wan's reasoning, I admit it would also benefit me personally. Relaxing the restrictions would legitimize Khaleen and Korto's presence here. It would give Korto the chance to be viewed as something other than an unfortunate mistake on my part."

"I support this motion as well," Nejaa seconded. "I readily admit that I would be glad to see my as unnamed suspended punishment be erased. While my wife and son are out of reach for the time being – a mission to Corellia is simply too risky, it's to far in the Core and too close to Coruscant – there are other bastard children sired by Jedi out there. Surely the Councils knows of at least a few, and surely there are more that have never been reported out of fear or even ignorance on the part of the guilty Jedi. With the relaxation of the restrictions, those children sired by Jedi that we could not accept before would become available to us."

"Obi-Wan, Quinlan, and Nejaa make excellent points," Master Tholme remarked. "I have no problems supporting this motion."

"I agree, they have made good arguments for the motion and I support it," Siri added.

"I have no objections to the motion and I find the arguments for it to be sound," Shaak Ti murmured. "It has my support."

"I see no reason why we may not at least try this arrangement and if it does not work out within a certain time frame abandon it. This motion has my support on a trial basis," Luminara Unduli decided.

"I agree with Master Unduli," Bultar Swan seconded.

"Masters Obi-Wan, Quinlan, Nejaa, and An'ya all make excellent points and persuasive arguments. While I agree with An'ya's sentiments, I also agree with Obi-Wan in that the Order requires more children to train. I feel we cannot risk waiting to seek out new children, though I would prefer we did not produce them ourselves due to the risks An'ya has mentioned." Pablo-Jill twitched his low-slung, stubby eyestalks around the half-circle of Masters. "Therefore, I agree with Luminara and Bultar in implementing Obi-Wan's plan on a trial basis."

"Trial basis or not, I find Obi-Wan's argument and those who support him to be more persuasive," Mace grumbled after a long stretch of silence. He turned to Master Kuro. "You are the lone hold-out in pure opposition of the motion. Do you change your vote?"

"Absolutely not," she replied, eyeing her fellow Council members with thinly veiled distaste.

Mace tapped a finger against his stick for a moment. "Seeing as the vote is not unanimous as Master Kuro has pointed it that it must be when dealing with such a sensitive matter of rule and tradition, I see only one option." He shifted his dark gaze to Obi-Wan. "Prepare your shuttle, Obi-Wan. Tomorrow you will transport Master Kuro, Master Halcyon, and myself to Dagobah. We shall place this matter before Grandmaster Yoda to decide."

"Yes, Master, it will be done," Obi-Wan promised with a slight bow.

Even with the High Council's unanimous support, Obi-Wan knew that the motion to relax the restrictions and waive the punishments on siring offspring would be hard for the Order to swallow. A Council decree concerning his motion that was not unanimous would likely be ignored; the more traditional-minded Jedi would probably even enact their own punishments such as shunning for those who risked indulging in the new freedom provided by the ruling. But if Master Yoda, the Grandmaster of the entire Order and the single most respected Jedi Master, sanctioned it…it would be accepted, unanimous ruling in the High Council or not.

_This could very well work out…so long as Master Yoda signs off on it, that is._

* * *

It figured that Yoda would choose his exile on a planet that was one big fetid swamp. The land around where Yoda built his humble hut was so soggy that landing places were hard to find. The foggy weather didn't landing any easier either. But at least it wasn't a long walk to Yoda's mud hut.

But while Dagobah was a miserable ball of mud, it was heave compared to the flight to it. The _Rust Bucket_ was a tiny shuttle and cramming four grown people in it was no picnic in the best of circumstances. However, the tension in the air made it almost unbearable.

Master Kuro said as little as possible and spent all her waking hours meditating. Mace, Nejaa, and Obi-Wan spoke freely, but Master Kuro's silent, disapproving presence put a damper on things. Even Mace seemed unsettled by her at times and gave her a wide berth, which was no easy feat in a ship so small.

Now they were all free of the tiny ship and trudging through the mud and thick, humid air. Some yards away the faint flickering glow of a fire drew them towards Yoda's new abode. The aged Grandmaster met them halfway.

"Come here lightly I hope you did not," Yoda grumbled from a branch over their heads.

"Of course not Master Yoda," Mace replied with a bow. "It is good to see you again, Master."

"Good to see you all as well. Such company…warms my heart it does." Yoda hopped down a few gnarled branches to be at eye level with them. "What assistance may I be?"

"An important matter has come before the Council that we cannot resolve on our own," Mace informed him. "We require your guidance to resolve this division."

Yoda nodded gravely. "Hmm. To my home we should go. Much there is that I have missed."

The ancient Master dropped from his perch in the tree and hobbled on towards the faint glow visible through the mists. He led them over the firmest, driest ground, making their short hike much more pleasant. And within a few minutes, they reached the small clearing which housed his tiny, hand-made mud hut.

It was much too small to contain all of them inside at once, so Yoda sat before his home and bade them to tell all that he had missed. He listened attentively as they took turns telling the events of what followed the bloody Purge. They told him their individual adventures, informed him about Sanctuary (which he approved of only when they told him about the protection of the surrounding nebula), and then they got to the problem which had brought them to his world of exile.

Obi-Wan, at a nod from Mace, stated his motion for the Grandmaster.

"Master Yoda, now that the Jedi Order is exiled and disgraced, it is nearly impossible to acquire new younglings from outside sources to train. We might be able to find some suitable orphans, but children with families are likely to be off-limits to us. And the Empire's propaganda does us no favors, painting us as an evil, baby-stealing cult and making being a Jedi an offense punishable by death.

"The only solution I can see to this problem is to relax the restrictions governing Jedi relationships and waive the punishments normally levied on Jedi who produce children. This would allow young Jedi who are interested in having children do so without fearing repercussion while simultaneously giving the Order a supply of younglings to train."

"The Council is nearly unanimous in full or partial support of this motion," Mace added. "The lone opposition is in Master An'ya Kuro. Without a unanimous decree, the Order would not stand for this severe alteration of tradition. So we have no choice but to place the matter before you, Grandmaster."

"An excellent argument young Obi-Wan makes," Yoda commented. "Why, An'ya, do you so strenuously oppose it?"

Master Kuro thinned her lips at Yoda's professed opinion. "Casting aside the teachings and traditions borne of the Ruusan Reformations and Master Odan-Urr's ancient teachings would be a disastrous step backwards in the evolution of the Jedi Order. These rules and restrictions help keep us to the path of enlightenment and make us more perfect servants of the Force and Its will. If Obi-Wan's plan is put into motion, the way is opened to the Dark Path. Siring and bearing children can breed attachment, jealousy, and dynasties; inflame favoritism; and give rise to nepotism. And that leads to dissention and decay which will destroy the Order as surely as the Sith will. This motion of Obi-Wan's is pure folly and does not warrant even a trial run."

"Seek to lecture me, do you?" Yoda frowned. "Hm?"

"Never, Master Yoda," Master Kuro replied calmly. "I was merely explaining my opinion."

"Hmph," Yoda sniffed. "So in great error the ancient Order was for allowing its Jedi to marry and mate? Shameful such ancient Jedi like Nomi Sunrider is for bearing a child, for marrying? Hm?"

She shook her head. "No, Master Yoda. The Jedi of old were not in error, not shameful at all, for they knew no better. They lived by the rules of their day, and did well, exceptionally well considering the distractions they subjected themselves to in marrying and bearing children. But we have evolved beyond them, we are better, why allow ourselves to slide backwards and risk collapse?"

Yoda sternly rapped his cane against the stone he crouched upon. "Shame, An'ya! Such arrogance, unbecoming of a Jedi it is! Speak with you privately later I shall." The Grandmaster eyed them all, each in turn. "Speak with you all privately I shall. Come young Mace," Yoda beckoned. "Within my home we shall speak."

* * *

Mace felt horribly awkward as he crawled through the low archway of Yoda's front door. He'd left his walking stick leaning against the outer wall of Yoda's mud hut; there was simply no room for it inside. And his feeling of awkwardness in the tiny space was only compounded by his physical infirmity.

He had survived Darth Sidious's Sith Lightning, but only just. The twisted Dark energy had permanently damaged his nerves, leaving his hands and feet partly numb and clumsy. In addition, the trauma he'd suffered and the sub-standard medical care he'd received as there was no decent hospital that could treat him during the Purge had led him to suffer a few mini-strokes that left his left side weak and his speech very slightly slurred. And his mechanical right hand was more primitive than most as the Jedi Healers charged with caring for him in the early days after the fall of the Republic could only afford an outdated prosthetic model. It might even be…used.

_At least I don't drool,_ he consoled himself as he struggled to sit down in a corner of Yoda's low-ceilinged hut.

"Good to see you it is, old friend," Yoda smiled and passed him a tiny wooden cup of some kind of herbal tea. "How feel you?"

"Old," Mace sighed and sipped at the mystery tea. "And very slow. How is it that you manage so well, Master? I can't seem to do it."

"Patience," Yoda cheerfully counseled. "Have faith. The Force is your ally, and a powerful ally it is. Meditated, practice, and if trouble you still have, when next we meet, instruct you I will."

"Thank you, Master," Mace half-smiled.

"Hmm." Yoda stirred a pot over his fireplace, sniffing at whatever bubbled within it. "So, revealed young Skywalker is. How feel the Jedi?"

"Betrayed, mostly," Mace replied. "And angry. Their hostility towards the Council is fading mostly, but if Skywalker is brought up amongst them…their hostility, and wariness, towards him has not faded much, if at all. I do not think he will be welcome within the Order for a long time, if he ever is again."

"Understandable," Yoda nodded and sipped at his tea. "How feel you?"

"I can understand why they feel the way that they do, but I hope they can forgive us and forgive him," Mace sighed and took another sip of the watery, bitter tea. "For all the frustration he laid on us, he has served us well and sacrificed much. He has earned his place among us as far as I'm concerned."

"Even though sired twins he has and taken a Padawan without approval? Hm?" Yoda inquired.

"Yes," Mace grumbled. "Even though he still gives us all headaches by jumping ahead and doing things before we approve them he still deserves to stand with us."

"Ehehehe!" Yoda chuckled, for a moment sounding disturbingly senile. "Agree with you I do," he smiled. The gnomish alien of a Jedi sipped at his tea for a minute. "Well you have done in guiding and protecting the Order and rebuilding the Council. Very well. Continue in guiding the Council. When gone I am, Grandmaster you shall be."

Mace Windu was not a young man, he was an experienced Jedi Master who had survived years of service, war, and an encounter with a Sith Master, but hearing Yoda speak of death was more than enough to scare him. "Master Yoda, you're not ill, are you?"

"Well I am," Yoda reassured him. "But old as well. Nearly nine hundred years have I lived. Live forever I will not." The ancient Jedi smiled kindly at him. "But worry you should not. Some years I have left in me. Live to see Sidious fall I may, or I may not. But when come my time does to become one with the Force, succeed me you will as Grandmaster."

"Thank you, Master," Mace managed after a few minutes. "I will do my best," he promised; as humbled by the honor as he was terrified of it.

"Good," Yoda grinned. "Go you may. Young Nejaa's turn it is."

"Yes, Master," Mace bowed, set aside his empty tea cup, and crawled out of the hut to send Nejaa Halcyon in to meet with the Grandmaster.

* * *

It had been a long time since Nejaa Halcyon had any dealings with Master Yoda. He'd studied under the Grandmaster as all Jedi Initiates did before he was chosen as a Padawan, after which his Master had taken him to Corellia and he had rarely gone to Coruscant and the Grand Jedi Temple there. And now here he was, meeting the ancient Jedi in his tiny home to admit to all his 'transgressions' and see what else Yoda wished to discuss with him alone.

Settling into a corner of the small hut, Nejaa half-bowed in greeting to the aged alien. "Master Yoda, it's been a long time."

"Yes," Yoda grunted in agreement and passed him a small cup of tea. "Tall you have grown, young one."

"I suppose," Nejaa chuckled. "You wished to speak with me, Master?"

"Hm," Yoda nodded. "Unique insights you have as a Jedi; Corellian you are, and a Halcyon. Your guidance others will soon need."

Nejaa blinked. "_My_ guidance?"

"Know your family, I do," Yoda sniffed. "Knew Kieran Halcyon in my younger days I did. Are you the only Halcyon who follows _all_ the rules, hm?"

Nejaa couldn't help but chuckle. "No, Master. I am very much a Halcyon."

"Thought as much, I did," Yoda nodded. "Useful your experiences will be to others soon. A respected Master of the Council you now are. Listen to your guidance young Jedi will if advantage they take of Obi-Wan's reforms. Look after such Jedi you must."

"Yes, Master," Nejaa agreed with a grin. _I guess that makes me the Jedi Order's marriage and parenting counselor now…_

"Good," Yoda smiled. "Lost much you have in the Purge. A terrible separation you must endure. How feel you, young Nejaa?"

"Lonely," Nejaa replied. "I miss my wife and son, but I wouldn't dare go to them. Corellia is too close to Coruscant and Sidious, and I wouldn't risk exposing their existence to Imperial agents. There is no choice left to me but to wait and I would be lying if I said that made me in any way happy."

"Out of reach your family is, but friends close by you still have," Yoda reminded him. "Take comfort in them. Hold faith in the Force and be patient. One day your family you will see again."

Nejaa nodded. "Thank you, Master."

"Go you may," Yoda grumbled, turning to tend his fireplace and a pot that hung over the flames. "Obi-Wan's turn it is."

"Yes, Master Yoda," Nejaa grinned.

Downing his serving of tea in one gulp, he set aside the empty cup and went about fetching Obi-Wan for the Grandmaster.

* * *

While Obi-Wan had waited his turn to conference with Master Yoda, he'd taken to a little exploring. He hadn't gone far from the Grandmaster's humble home because it was impossible to predict when his turn would come. But he easily found something nearby to hold his attention.

Not far from Yoda's hut he could see an ancient, gnarled tree through the gray mists. It was larger and squatter than most trees in the area, but that wasn't what caught his attention. It was the feel of the area in the Force.

There was something evil about the tree; almost like it was a sentient thing. It gave him the sense of a chained, crouching Nexu, ready to bit his head off. Even the lightest probe of it left him feeling cold, nearly frozen. Obi-Wan decided that he was glad that the tree was far away and he resolved to never go any closer to the place than he was now.

Thankfully Nejaa passed along Master Yoda's summons and he was distracted from the menacing tree. His relief was short-lived, however. Crawling into Master Yoda's hut gave him a feeling that he hadn't suffered from for a long time, that of a naughty Padawan being called in to see his teacher.

Master Yoda noticed his unease immediately and easily, in spite of his efforts to bury the silly feeling. "In trouble you are not, Obi-Wan. Unless…done something wrong that you have not admitted to?"

"Not that I am aware of, Master," Obi-Wan grinned weakly as he settled into the corner, the same one he suspected that Mace and Nejaa had occupied previously.

"Good," Yoda snorted. "Enough trouble you are having, it seems." He passed Obi-Wan a small cup of tea. "Now, of Anakin's children tell me."

Obi-Wan sampled the tea and ordered his thoughts. "They are quite young, so it's difficult to predict how they might turn out as adults, but their potential is undeniable. Individually, Luke is more powerful than his sister, but Leia possesses the more aggressive nature. Together, I feel they have even greater potential power. Being Force-sensitive twins, it's hard to say what their capabilities and limits could be."

"Hm," Yoda tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Of the two, which would the best Jedi make?"

"I would have to say Luke," Obi-Wan decided after a moment's consideration. "Leia is either unaware of the Force or uninterested in it. Luke, on the other hand, found me to be quite fascinating when I paid his family a visit. He knew almost immediately that I was different from any other guest in his home and he became my little shadow for my entire stay. Leia barely paid me any mind at all."

"Interesting," Yoda mused. "And young Anakin? How is he?"

"From what I understand, Anakin suffered great loneliness directly after the Purge which led him to take young Zett Jukassa as his student." Obi-Wan sipped at the tea. "Now that he is back with Lady Amidala he is quite enamored with her and his children and working to settle himself and his Padawan within the household. I think the both of them will do well there for the time being."

"Good," Yoda smiled. "Glad I am to hear that a place he has found for himself."

Obi-Wan finished off his tiny cup of tea. "Master, I must ask, when will I get to learn how to commune with Qui-Gon? Things seem to have settled as much as they will for now."

Yoda nodded and started digging through one of his bins. The ancient Master fished out a small stack of tiny sheets of paper covered in handwritten notes. "Instructions for reaching Qui-Gon through meditation," he informed Obi-Wan as he handed over the papers. "Study these and when reach Qui-Gon you can, teach you further he will."

"Thank you, Master," Obi-Wan bowed gratefully and tucked the notes into his belt.

"To yourself keep this knowledge," Yoda advised. "When mastered Qui-Gon's lessons you have, share what you know with Mace you may. No other for now."

Obi-Wan nodded in agreement. This was not knowledge that the general Jedi needed to know. If everyone knew the techniques, the Force would be choked with Jedi ghosts, which could have long-term consequences for the Order in the future.

"An excellent solution you have found, Obi-Wan," the ancient Jedi praised. "Not without difficulties, but good potential it has." Yoda gave him a curious look. "Take advantage of these new rules will you?"

Had Obi-Wan any tea left, he would've choked on it. "M-Master?"

"Remember you and Siri I do," Yoda smiled kindly.

"Master Yoda, Siri and I are just good friends now!" Obi-Wan protested. "That was just childish infatuation before, and it's long faded."

"I see," Yoda nodded. "Someone else, perhaps?"

Obi-Wan found it hard to swallow. "Master, could we…could we talk about something else, please?" The Grandmaster favored him with a look that made him feel distinctly uncomfortably.

"Well you have done," Yoda praised. "Free to go you are, and send An'ya Kuro to me."

"Thank you, Master," Obi-Wan sighed in relief and left the tiny hut before things became any more uncomfortable.

* * *

The woman once known as An'ya Kuro was rather irritated that she had been left for last. Yoda was knocking her down a peg, subtly of course. She understood why perfectly well, but still it irritated her. She was not some naughty child who needed scolding.

Casting aside her irritation, she crawled in through Master Yoda's front door (designed to humble the guest entering into the alien's domain, no doubt) and took a seat near the fireplace. Yoda was busy tending to some concoction he had cooking over the fire. It took several minutes for him to acknowledge her presence in his home. But she was patient and waited for the Grandmaster to be ready to speak with her.

"Greeting, Master Kuro," Yoda nodded to her. "Glad I am to see that you have survived."

"It is good to see you as well, Master," she replied.

The elderly Grandmaster gave her some tea and a worried look. "Nothing I can say to change your mind, is there?"

"Concerning Obi-Wan's proposed relaxation of the rules concerning Jedi relationships and the ending of punishment for those who sire or bear children? No, nothing will change my stance, Grandmaster." She leaned forward to catch Yoda's dark eyes with her own ice blue ones. "You have lived for centuries, Grandmaster. You have seen how well our traditions have served us. You cannot honestly sanction this folly."

Master Yoda sighed sadly. "Such arrogance, such inflexibility, dangerous it is An'ya—to yourself and to the Order. Be mindful of it you must. Learn to see past it you must."

"This is a step backwards for the Order," she warned—a last ditch effort to try and alert Yoda to his grave mistake. "Casting aside the Ruusan reformations and all the teachings that came before is wrong."

"A step backwards this would not be if wrong the Reformations were," Yoda replied quietly.

"Master Yoda!" she hissed, horrified. "You can't possibly imply that—"

"A possibility it is," Yoda interrupted. "Meditate on it more I must. Now go outside and wait, and be mindful of the dangers of arrogance."

She knew a dismissal when she heard one and so she left to meditate away her righteous anger concerning the near blasphemy that the Grandmaster had hinted at.

* * *

When An'ya Kuro left, Yoda sighed deeply and tended to his rootleaf stew. She had been such a bright student once, and a promising Knight. But now the long years and many losses had hardened her heart and narrowed her mind. The galaxy was black and white, the Force was Light and Dark, and there was no in-between. He did not want to think too badly of her, but her cold arrogance worried him.

_Old she is, for a Human,_ he thought. _If leave the Council out of frustration, pass on to the Force in some decades she will._ It was a horrible thought, but it was true.

It was good to have some company after being alone for some years. It was nice to talk to someone besides Qui-Gon's ghost. But at the same time it was sad seeing what had become of some of them.

Mace was a mess. His vitality and youth were much reduced. Yoda was glad of his strong, resilient spirit, for if he wasn't as strong as he was, he may not have fared as well.

Nejaa and Obi-Wan were doing much better in comparison. However, Nejaa wrestled with a loss that few Jedi would understand or appreciate. And Obi-Wan was in the difficult position of presenting some very unpopular reforms to a less than receptive group.

The stew was ready and he ladled a serving for himself and all his guests. He added a few pinches of flavoring herbs before levitating all the spare bowls out of his home after him. Presenting his guests with dinner, he settled on his rock to eat while he continued to think.

He had also worried some on the fact that the Order would be unlikely to acquire any new children to teach. No clear solutions had come to him during his meditations. It had taken the fresh young eyes and mind of Obi-Wan to find a plan that had some chance of working.

It was a subtle plan. While the Council would not overtly promote young Jedi settling down and breeding children, they would open the door for it to happen. It was the only strategy that he had contemplated that he felt had any real chance of success. The average member of the Order would go along with it, and while they wouldn't like it, there wouldn't be much ground to protest it on.

When Yoda finished his meal, he glanced around at his guests. An'ya was still struggling quietly with her outrage, Obi-Wan and Nejaa eyed her uneasily, and Mace simply looked tired. The Grandmaster set aside his empty bowl and prepared to deliver his official verdict on the proposed reforms.

"Considered this problem thoroughly I have," Yoda announced. "My support these reforms have, on a trial basis. If problems these changes cause, then a unanimous vote from the sitting Council is required to revoke them."

An'ya Kuro was predictably incensed. "Master Yoda—!"

"A discussion this is not," Yoda replied as he levitated the used bowls back inside his mud hut. "My decision alone this is. Unless an emergency brings you back to me, see you again I will in a few years. May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you, Master," Mace answered and shooed his colleagues along back to the shuttle.

Yoda bowed to them and returned to his humble home. He had dishes to wash and food to gather. And after that he had meditation to undertake while he waited for the Jedi's time to come again…


	33. 32: Solusar

**Chapter 32  
**_Solusar_

Outside, it was an exceptionally gloomy day on Toprawa. The clouds were thick and deep gray with a cold wind gusting beneath them, but no clear sign of rain. Ranik almost wished it would rain. Perhaps the cold raindrops would wash away the paralyzing numbness that had crept over him when he'd rolled out of bed that morning.

Such numb paralysis was dangerous for him. It meant that if he was caught he wouldn't be sharp enough to escape with his life; he might not even get himself together in time to defend himself. After over two years on the run, it seemed like a sad way to go.

Ranik slumped on his bar stool and stared fixedly into the half-empty glass of ale that was clutched in his hands and had long reached room temperature. He tried to shrug off the invisible weight that bound him in place, but he simply couldn't. There were too many memories buzzing around in his brain for him to focus on anything else.

When he'd first gone on the run when the Purges had started, the memories that haunted him had been of happier times. He would remember his carefree childhood days in the heart of the Grand Jedi Temple on Coruscant, his friends, when he was chosen by his Master, the day he was Knighted, and all the missions he'd successfully completed. The less happy memories – of old failures, of his reprimand, of the war – would come up too, but he was usually able to focus on the good over the bad.

He held on to his memories of his life as a Jedi with everything he had. He didn't want to forget what is was like to be a Jedi and instead only know to be a shady drifter. But now those memories evaded him, drowned out by fresher, more shameful memories that were tied directly to his current predicament.

While the Jedi Order had rules against marrying, having kids, and attachment was forbidden, there was no vow or rule of celibacy; the practice was encouraged, of course, but nothing more than that. Ranik was one of the Jedi who took advantage of that loophole. So long as he didn't marry the girl, get her pregnant, or get attached to her, he could enjoy her as long as she was willing.

As a young Knight he'd had several casual girlfriends and more than several one-night stands. He never let it interfere with his work and he never let any of the more uptight Jedi know about what he did in his off time. But then he'd been sent to the Glythe Sector to hunt down pirates and slavers.

He'd been based on the planet Nentan when he wasn't off working. The people who lived there were pleasant and the countless ruins of some long-extinct civilization were amazing to look at and fun to explore. And working in the Glythe Sector gave him the opportunity to visit the famed Fire Rings of Fornax—an added bonus.

Then, early in his life on Nentan, he'd met a girl. Her name was Lyria and she was young and beautiful, with white-blonde hair, smooth ivory skin, and clear blue eyes. She was the youngest daughter of a local merchant – respected and well-off but not decadently wealthy – who had just moved into her own little cottage. From the instant he'd laid his dark brown eyes upon her, he'd been attracted to her.

But he didn't immediately try to hop into bed with her. That would've been irresponsible and dangerous. He spent weeks carefully feeling her out before he did anything that was more than friendly. He had to be sure that she knew exactly what she would be getting into if she entered into a relationship with him. And only when he was sure that she wouldn't put too much stock in their relationship or tell everyone and their mother what they were up to, that she wouldn't try to worm a child out of him or force him into a marriage, did he get serious with her.

It wasn't a relationship in the way that most ordinary civilians thought of it. It was more like being friends-with-benefits than being boyfriend-and-girlfriend. They were friendly during the day and would have sex when they felt like it at night. He didn't expect her to be faithful to him and she didn't expect him to be faithful to her. He made sure that she never expected anything more than mere friendship and physical pleasure from him, and he made sure never to give her more than that.

Their time together had been good, his longest-running relationship by far. He still had the occasional one-night stand every now and then, just to keep things interesting and fresh. But he always came back to Lyria—to the point that he started to worry that he was getting attached to her.

Then an emergency had come up in a neighboring sector and he and his comrades serving in Glythe had been called in to help out. An explosion of pirate activity had overwhelmed the Jedi there and it verged on outright warfare for months before things could be brought under control. It was seven full months before Ranik had made it back to Nentan and Lyria.

When he'd made it to Lyria's doorstep, he'd been greeted with a surprise: Lyria holding a newborn baby in her arms. To say that he had been shocked would've been a lesson in the Jedi art of understatement. And the shock turned to horror when Lyria had tearfully confessed to him that the newborn boy was his.

She'd kept crying as she babbled and apologized to him as he stood there, frozen as he felt frozen now. She'd sworn it was an accident, that she'd missed her last birth control shot by mistake and hadn't known that she could get pregnant. Lyria had begged for forgiveness through her tears, begged him not to hate her or their son, Kam, for her foolishness. And as she'd sobbed and pleaded with him the baby – sensing her distress – had started to wail as well.

Ranik hadn't been able to deal with it all, so he'd turned and walked away. To his great relief, she didn't seek him out and try to get him to take responsibility for the boy. She'd left him alone, and he'd taken the time to meditate on what he should do. In the end, still reeling from what he'd learned, he had returned to Coruscant and admitted his transgression to the Council.

They had been very displeased with him. Each Council member found time to give him a good verbal working over. Then they'd formally reprimanded him, banishing him to a remote corner of the Outer Rim to track down pirates and banned him from returning to Nentan. They had also gone and tested Kam, found him to be more than sensitive enough to be a Jedi, and banned him from ever being one due to his Jedi parentage.

While the reprimand had stung, Ranik had felt very relieved to be shuffled off to someplace new. There he had had the opportunity for a fresh start. No one knew him there, and they had no idea what he'd done. And he never risked having a casual girlfriend, or even just a one-night stand, again.

But, four years later, his new existence in the Outer Rim came to an end. The Clone Wars exploded on Geonosis and he was recalled to Coruscant for reassignment. The three years of war that followed were horrific and exhausting. And the Purges, the culmination of the war, was even worse—he'd barely escaped his command with his life.

No longer a general, no longer openly a Jedi, he'd fled for his life and hid out in the wilds of the Outer Rim that he had known so well. He'd stayed in hiding there for months until a horrifying thought had come to him. He'd admitted fathering a child to the Council, the boy's information had been stored in the genealogical section of the Archives, and the Archives were now held by the Emperor, the man who had declared the Jedi Order to be traitorous. Imperial agents could've very well been on their way to Nentan at that moment to either claim the boy for the Sith or kill him.

Chilled at that thought, he'd fled his hiding place for Nentan. He had been fortunate to find that Lyria still lived in the same cottage as before. And when he'd turned up on her doorstep, he'd been stunned to find that she was glad to see him.

Lyria had burst into happy tears as she'd pulled him inside, crying that she'd feared that he'd been killed in the war or in the Purges which had followed. Ranik had been distracted at best – still upset at the thought of Imperial agents coming here – and made little effort to try and stop her tears—he'd never been able to deal with crying people well, especially women. It had taken nearly an hour for her to calm down enough to talk, which coincided with the time that Kam returned home from school.

It had been very disconcerting to see the boy again. The last time he'd laid eyes upon him, Kam had been a newborn, barely two weeks old. When he'd walked in the front door, the boy had been seven years old—a vast change from his hazy memories from years before.

Kam possessed the same color hair, a shade of blonde so pale is almost looked white. He was fair-skinned like both his parents, and his facial features were a mix. But his dark eyes were an exact match to Ranik's own.

The boy had frozen upon finding a stranger in his home and grew visibly alarmed when he noticed that his mother had been crying. Lyria had immediately assured the boy that everything was okay and that the strange man in their kitchen was his father. Kam had remained wary for a minute before excitement had overwhelmed him and the boy had tackled Ranik in a hug, burying his face in Ranik's stomach for a good five minutes.

Even now as he recalled that moment, two years ago, he felt something tighten in his chest. He had rarely thought of the boy at all before that day, and he had never thought of him without feeling some measure of shame. And all Kam had seemed to care when Ranik had turned up in his kitchen was that the father that he'd always longed for was finally there.

After Kam had satisfied his need for a hug, he'd immediately fired a thousand and one questions at Ranik. Would they go fishing and camping and hiking and play catch and do all the things his friends did with their fathers now? Where had he been for so long? Where did he live? What did he do, what was his job? Did he travel a lot? Did he fly neat ships? And throughout the assault of questions, Kam had called him "Daddy."

Ranik had been left speechless. What answers could he give? He'd returned to Nentan to protect the boy from the Empire and teach him the now-forbidden ways of the Jedi, not be the father that Kam had so long dreamed of. So instead of answering, he'd sent Kam away so he could talk to Lyria alone.

What followed had been a stop-and-go argument with Lyria that lasted into the evening over what to do with Kam. Ranik spent hours working to convince her to give him Kam, explaining how dangerous it was for the boy to remain with her. Lyria tried to persuade him to stay and protect them that way, but Ranik knew that wouldn't work.

Finally, around the time that Kam would've been put to bed, Lyria broke down and agreed with him. Fighting tears, she'd gone and packed a small bag for Kam and told the boy that he was going on a long trip with his father. She'd tried to make it sound like everything was fine, but Kam saw through her weak lie and began to get upset. Ranik had practically been forced to drag Kam away from Lyria while the boy cried and begged for her to come too.

The weeks that had followed had been the hardest. Kam had been miserable and begged for his mother, his friends, and to go home almost constantly. The boy had cried himself to sleep every night, and Ranik did little to comfort him.

Ranik tried to get Kam back to the hidey-hole he'd been using previously, but when he'd reached the place, they barely avoided running across one of the Empire's first Inquisitors. From that point on, they became drifters, settling down only in backwater places, and only for a few months at most. He knew it wasn't good for Kam, but he saw no other choice.

Once the edge of leaving home had faded enough, Ranik began teaching Kam the ways of the Jedi. He'd taught the boy the basics of shielding his presence from detection, hiding his thoughts, masking his emotions, how to trust his instincts, and the Code, traditions, and history of the Jedi Order. When they stayed on a planet for any good length of time, he'd take Kam to some isolated place and teach him the basics of lightsaber combat with sticks.

Kam was a bright boy and a good student. Even though Ranik only taught the boy in short bits and pieces, Kam did well. The boy would've done even better had he not been so miserable, and more recently resentful.

_What did you expect?_ he asked himself bitterly as he forced himself to swallow some of his warm ale. _That Kam would just take his new life in stride? That he would get over missing his mother and his home and magically mature into a Jedi Padawan?_

Ranik shook his head wearily at his own stupidity. _I'm such a moron. I've never even had a Padawan before this. What made me think that I could handle a **son**?_

He sighed deeply. _I really should have seen this coming. I'm surprised that he didn't try it before now—he's been so unhappy. I should've realized that he would run away from me…_

It had happened just that morning. He'd woken up in his current hotel room and found Kam's bed empty and his bag gone. All that was left was a clumsily written note – barely legible since Ranik hadn't spent much time improving Kam's reading and writing skills – that said that he was running away and going home.

Panicked, Ranik had searched all over for Kam. He'd traced the faint echoes of the boy's signature to the space port at the edge of the city where he lost the trail in all the comings and goings of hundreds of beings. Kam had probably left Toprawa by ship hours ago, maybe even before Ranik woke up.

_It's all my own damn fault_, he knew. _I didn't even treat him as well as a Master treats his Padawan. I took him away from everything he knew and loved and made him miserable. When he cried I snapped at him. When he asked for his mother I lectured him about attachment. I never hit him, but I never hugged him either. He needed me to…to love him, but I held him at arm's length; my Master never kept such a distance between himself and me._

As he forced himself to finish his ale, Ranik Solusar, for the first time in his life, cursed his Jedi upbringing, the Order's traditions, and the Code; all of which had made it so hard to love his son, and show it…

* * *

Kam Solusar curled up in the pitch black cargo bay and tried not to cry. He hated the dark and he hated the fact that he hated it. He was nine-and-a-half and he still needed a night-light. Worse, it annoyed his father to no end.

His father…there was a person he had never thought he would meet. Every year on his birthday he had wished for a dad, like all his friends had. Every year he was disappointed. But then when he was seven it had all changed.

He'd come home from school that day there had been a strange man with his mom, who had been crying. The man was tall and strong-looking, kind of like some of the action heroes from his favorite vids. The man's hair was a much darker blonde than his mother's, but his eyes were dark and familiar even though he'd never seen the man before. And then his mom had told him that the man was his father.

At the moment, it had seemed like all his dreams about having a dad had come true. He'd hugged his father and excitedly asked him a ton of questions. It felt so wonderful; he was just like all his friends now. They couldn't tease him anymore for not having a dad.

But then his father had sent him away so he and mom could talk alone. They had talked all afternoon, all through dinner time, all the way up to his bed time. Well, actually they'd argued, but whenever he'd come into the room they would get quiet.

And then it had gotten worse. His mom had packed up some of his things while trying not to cry and told him that he was going to go with his father on a trip, but she'd been lying. Kam got all scared and begged her to come too. His father wouldn't let her come and had pulled him away from his mom, his home, and everything he knew, and into the dark, cold night.

Things had only gotten worse from there. His father dragged him around all over the place, never staying anywhere long enough for him to make friends or go to school. He missed his mom so much that he cried a lot, especially in the first few weeks. His father ignored or avoided him when he cried, which made him even more lonely then before.

Having a father wasn't at all like he'd dreamed it would be. His father wasn't like any of his friends' dads. His father didn't smile or laugh or play, he just looked grim or angry all the time; he was always serious. He never hugged Kam, only told him how attachment and emotion were bad. His father ruined all his dreams about what having a dad was supposed to be like, and it hurt.

_I wish I never met my father!_ Kam sniffled as the dark cargo hold closed in tight around him. _I hate him! I want to go home…_

And he would go home. The only good thing that his father had done for him in the two years that they'd been together was to teach him Jedi stuff. It was dangerous to know about the Jedi, his father had said, so he had to keep it a secret. No one was to know what Kam could do. He wasn't to show off to anyone, because if anyone knew, bad men would try to find them and hurt them.

The only thing that his Jedi powers were to be used for was to run and hide, and that's exactly what he was doing now. He was running away and hiding from his father, and he was running home. Kam knew he wasn't very good at doing Jedi things, his father said so all the time, though he said it in a nicer way. But it would have to be good enough to make it home to Nentan.

So far, so good, though. He'd managed to sneak out of the hotel room he'd shared with his father with no trouble. And he'd found a ship to sneak onto that felt like a good choice. Now all he had to do was stay hidden until it landed and then sneak off without getting caught.

_I can do that,_ Kam decided, clutching his bag to his chest. _Maybe this ship will take me all the way to Nentan! That'd be nice…_

The deck plates under Kam began to vibrate in a different way than before and he started to whimper. It was so dark in the cargo hold that he couldn't see his own hand in front of his face. It was so dark that there could be a monster sitting right next to him, or a swarm of space cockroaches could be all over the floor, or a bad man from the Empire could be sniffing around for him among the boxes and he wouldn't know.

He tried to send the fear away like his father had taught him, but he was alone in the dark and he just couldn't do it. Even though he hated his father, Kam wished that he was here to tell him that there were no monsters, space roaches, or Inquisitors out there in the dark. His father was always annoyed with Kam's fear of the dark, but he'd still look around to prove to him that there was nothing out there that was going to get him.

And even if there was something out there that his father didn't find, Kam was sure that his father could handle it. His father was not just strong, he was a Jedi. He could do things that amazed Kam to no end. Kam was left in awe of the things that his father demonstrated to him when he was teaching. His father also had a deadly lightsaber that he knew how to use. Even though he hated his father, he admired him and wanted to make him proud.

_I don't make him proud, I make him ashamed._ Kam started to cry softly, feeling absolutely miserable.

His father had taught him how to feel the emotions of others, and that meant that he could feel his father's feelings too when he wasn't careful. He sensed a lot of shame in his father and he was pretty sure why. Kam knew the Jedi Code like the back of his hand by now, he knew all the rules that Jedi lived by. Kam knew that he was a mistake, even though his father had never said so.

_I'm a mistake, I remind him of how bad a Jedi he was every time he looks at me. So I'm going home so he doesn't have to look at me anymore. Me being gone will make everything better…_

Fighting back his tears, he hunkered down and waited for his chance to get off the ship to come.

* * *

It was early morning on whatever planet he was on when he bolted from the cargo bay. When the ship had landed about half the cargo was off-loaded, forcing him to crawl deeper within the stacks of boxes to keep from being found. Only when the activity ceased did he dare creep out of his hiding place, and thankfully all the crew was gone and the cargo bay door left wide open. Before anyone could come back, he grabbed his bag and ran.

Outside of the ship he immediately knew that he hadn't reached Nentan. There were no ruins, there wasn't any big space port. It was just a few landing pads and one building, a road, and lots and lots of trees. Seeing no city around, he darted for the trees.

Now he was in a jungle. The air was thick, stuffy, and hot and there were plants everywhere. Enormous trees came close to touching the sky they were so tall, and their leaves blocked out most of the sunlight. There were sounds everywhere, from birds and bugs and other animals that he couldn't identify.

He felt all shaky as he stumbled around through the grasping vines that hung off the trees. Partly he was scared, who knew what sorts of things were out here, ready to eat him? And partly he was hungry; he hadn't eaten in a while…and he was getting thirsty too.

_Maybe I should've stayed near the landing pads,_ Kam swallowed. _I should go back and wait for another ship. I don't want to be here. But…_ He looked around at trees, trees, and yet more trees. _…I'm lost._

Kam panicked. He started to run, blindly trying to find the only mark of civilization he'd seen on the planet: the tiny space port. But all he found were trees, grasping vines, and sharp branches that caught at his clothes and skin.

Eventually he ran out of steam and collapsed into a deep pile of dead, slimy leaves. His lungs and legs burned and he felt so dizzy and sick. If he'd had anything to eat recently, he was sure that he would've thrown it up. Kam didn't even have the breath left to cry.

He lay there for a long time, gasping and whimpering. His stomach was in knots, his throat and tongue were thick and dry, and his head hurt. All he wanted was to close his eyes and go to sleep. But if he did that, some wild animal might come and eat him, and then he'd never make it home to mom.

After a while a rustling noise made him sit up in a hurry. A hulking shape lurched out of the shadows towards him. The thing was like an enormous ball of snot crawling towards him like a monster slug and coated in dead leaves and small sticks. Kam shrieked at the sight of it and ran away from it.

At least he tried to run away from it. His legs still hurt and he could barely stay standing up. It was hard to walk and impossible to run. Thankfully the slime monster moved very slowly and he was able to limp away from it.

_Ow__, ow, ow, ow…_ Kam whimpered miserably as each step sent stabbing needles of fire rushing up his legs. He was so tired, he just wanted to sit down and rest, but he was afraid that if he did he wouldn't be able to get up again.

Tiny little dots swam around in front of his eyes and he got really dizzy. He swayed and leaned against a tree trunk to keep from falling over. He could never remember feeling so hungry.

Money was tight as his father didn't work all the time and never stuck with one job for more than four months. Sometimes money was so tight that they could barely afford food. When that happened, it had always been his father who had gone with less food or no food at all. The only time that Kam had ever missed a meal was when they didn't have the opportunity to get away from whatever they were doing to pick up some food.

_"You're a growing boy, Kam,"_ his father would say during those times. _"You need to eat more than I do."_

_I should've thought about food,_ Kam sighed miserably and staggered away from the tree. _I need to find a house… If I can find a house, I can find people, and maybe if I ask nice enough they'll give me something to eat._

His stomach growled loudly as he trudged along. It felt like he'd already gone up and down a few hills and the ground looked even more hilly in front of him. But he kept walking because he had no choice.

Kam wished that his father was around. He would know what to do. He knew all the Jedi trick. He wouldn't get lost like this. And he would've been smart enough to bring some food and water.

_This is awful. Maybe I shouldn't have run away. Maybe—_

A dense clump of vines and brush that Kam had been pressing against gave way and he tumbled end over end down a steep drop. When the world stopped spinning, Kam grabbed his bag and clawed his way back to his feet. He started to walk again, but stopped.

The trees were different here. They were much shorter with light gray bark and purplish leaves. And there were pipes stuck to spots on their trunks.

Pipes were artificial. Pipes meant that people, or even just droids, would be around somewhere. But…why the heck would pipes be attached to trees?

Kam decided that he didn't what the pipes were for. He stumbled towards the weird trees, hoping to see if he could follow the pipes somewhere. His toe caught a vine, though, and he stumbled into a pipe on the ground, slamming his shin into the hard metal.

"Yah!" Kam shrieked and clutched at his leg as fiery agony blazed through his injured shin.

When the hurting stopped, he stiffly uncurled and glared down at the tube of metal which had wounded him. He thought about kicking it, but decided that he didn't want to break his toe. So he just glared at it as he followed it away from the tree.

The pipe was thick, several inches around at least, and banded every few feet with glaring yellow paint. He didn't see much rust on it so it had to be taken care of by somebody. So…where was this somebody?

At a join between two sections of pipe, there was a slight leak. Some sort of pink sticky stuff was oozing out of the tiny crack and dripping very slowly to the ground. A bit of the pink goo got on his fingers and – without thinking about it – sucked it off.

_Hey! This tastes like the sugar candy that Grandma would make!_ Kam dumped his bag on the leafy ground to attack the pink stuff with both hands.

"Hey you!" someone yelled. "What are you doing?"


	34. 33: Lonely Little Boys

**Chapter 33  
**_Lonely Little Boys_

Zett scratched out the last few figures of his astro-math homework and sighed. Now with all his homework completed, he had nothing left to occupy his time for the rest of the weekend. Unlike most of his classmates, he would've liked to have some big assignment or something assigned. It was so much nicer to have something to do, than to wander the castle halls with nothing at all to do.

There was babysitting the twins, and helping Lady Padmé or Miss Sabé or Captain Typho, and teaching Maré, but he didn't feel up to any of that. And with his training with Master Anakin done for the day, he was at loose ends. So what was there left to do?

He couldn't go out and play with other boys. The only child near his age was Joh Wilk, and he was only nine years old. Zett was twelve, less than a month from being thirteen, and the only thing he had in common with Joh was that they lived in the same general area.

Packing up his homework in preparation for returning to classes in roughly a day and a half's time, Zett abandoned his room to try and find something to do. Glancing at the time, he guessed that Maré was out grazing somewhere on the property. Miss Sabé and Lady Padmé would be starting lunch soon. And Master Anakin would be watching the children, perhaps with Captain Typho and the droids as well.

Sure enough, as he passed the playroom he could see Master Anakin and Captain Typho entertaining the two-year-old twins. Captain Typho was staging a mock space battle with Luke and his toy ships and poor Master Anakin had been roped into playing tea party with Leia and the droids. Seeing that there was still one chair open at the tiny table, Zett moved on quickly before he was sucked into the party too.

When he passed the kitchen, he found his prediction concerning Lady Padmé and Miss Sabé to be equally accurate. They darted around the room, throwing to together whatever lunch was going to be for that day. Things were well in hand, so Zett moved on.

Since it hadn't rained yet, and it didn't look like it would rain for several hours, Zett decided to take a walk outside. The air was sticky, but he'd adjusted to the climate enough where it didn't feel oppressive anymore. It would feel better after it rained, though.

Circling around the castle, he came to the start of a trail that he particularly liked. The narrow path looped around Agate Lake through the dense jungle and ended up in the grove of Ambrosia trees. Then, to return to the castle, he just had to follow the pipes to the shed where the collection vats for the sap were, and then go past it to the clearing where the castle was built.

It seemed that he hiked along this trail more and more lately. Master Anakin was busy with his children and his wife, he had only a few hours a day to spend with Zett. And those precious few hours were focused almost exclusively on Jedi training.

Every day it was one hour of physical training, which consisted of hikes in the jungle, hand-to-hand sparring, katas, and lightsaber drills. Then another hour later in the day of Force skills, like meditation and levitation. However, about half of both training sessions were consumed by trying to catch Maré up.

Maré was, at best, skittish. Anything that she perceived as violent sent her cowering, if not fleeing. They had to tell her that the katas and lightsaber drills were actually just traditional dances for her to agree to do them. She found Master Anakin to be intimidating, and Zett found himself pressed into the role of teaching aide and intermediary.

It was frustrating. He spent more time teaching her basic skills than learning anything new. He knew that she needed the help, she at least needed to know the basic self-defense and Force skills before she could move on to any specialized Healer training, but some days he just wanted to say that he quit and walk away.

_I can't quit,_ Zett sighed. _Not if I want to be a Jedi. A Jedi doesn't just quit if things get frustrating. He keeps on going until his mission is completed and does his very best._

_It's an honor to be entrusted with such a great responsibility as teaching someone else,_ he reminded himself. _It's rare that a Senior Padawan would get such a duty, and I'm just a **Junior** Padawan. I'm not even thirteen yet._

Thinking of his upcoming birthday put a halt to his efforts to cheer himself up. Master Anakin was so busy to take care of his family that Zett feared that his Master would forget all about it. Normally this wouldn't bother him, but the thirteenth birthday was special for Jedi Padawans, almost like how the sixteenth and eighteenth birthdays were important to non-Jedi.

If a Jedi Initiate wasn't chosen by his or her thirteenth by a Master, he or she would be shipped away to be part of one of the service corps, like the Agri-corp on Bandomeer. If the Initiate became a Padawan, his or her Master would celebrate by giving them a gift of special significance or taking them on a special trip. While all Initiates feared their thirteenth birthday, all Padawans looked forward to it eagerly.

Zett was no different. When Mierme Unill had been his Master he had wondered what special treat he would get on that special birthday. And when Master Anakin had agreed to train him, he was even more eager to find out what was going to happen on his thirteenth birthday. But now it looked like Master Anakin was going to miss it.

_He might not even know that the thirteenth birthday is supposed to be special,_ he realized. _Master Kenobi began his training when he was fifteen, he never had a thirteenth birthday with the Jedi. Master Anakin didn't even know how to form a training bond with me until Master Kenobi taught him how…_

Feeling a bit gloomier, Zett trudged along the trail. On his right he could sometimes catch glimpses of the clear, shimmering lake through gaps in the trees. On his left there was nothing but dark, dense jungle. Above him there was a solid roof of dark green leaves and a tangle of vines that barely let any light through. It was kind of like a green cave, or a tunnel. He rather liked it.

All around him he could feel the life energy of the jungle pulse like a heartbeat. There was so much going on around him – birth, life, and death – that he felt quite small. But he felt connected to it, unlike how he felt in his Master's house.

Everyone had ties to Master Anakin. Lady Padmé was his wife and Luke and Leia were his children. Miss Sabé and Captain Typho were old friends. Orbie was a droid that he had owned and personally modified and R2-D2 was a droid he'd worked with extensively in the past. And Maré was a student like Zett. Zett's only tie in the house was to Master Anakin, and with so much going on around his Master, he felt very much on the fringes of things.

_And it's only going to get worse,_ Zett sighed.

While Master Anakin's wife had plenty of money, funds were starting to get a tiny bit tight. Before faking her death, she'd managed to hide away almost all of her money. What little she'd left behind had been divided into fifths: a share for each of her two nieces, a share for her sister and brother-in-law, a share for her parents, and a share for her school on Naboo. The money that she'd kept she'd invested wisely and she'd gotten her house on a good discount from the previous owner. But after supporting herself, her children, and her friends for a few years, and now buying a shuttle, things were starting to run low.

Captain Typho was already in the habit of accepting odd jobs and he would continue to do so unless he found a better employment opportunity. Zett had overheard Miss Sabé mention that she was considering taking a job at the local bakery soon as her other skills (impersonating Lady Padmé and firing deadly blasters) was unlikely to earn her much money. And knowing Master Anakin, his mentor was assuredly going to get a job at the repair shop in town in a year or two. With Lady Padmé's careful investing, the small paychecks could be turned into comfortable living for years to come.

_It's a nice house, I suppose, and it's nice to have decent clothes and food all the time, but… But I miss all the traveling, the excitement of going to new places and completing missions. Staying on Xendiir means that we don't go anywhere anymore. I train, I go to school, I help around the house and with the kids, and that's pretty much it._

Zett tugged at his stubby braid, kept short so that it was less obvious and looked up ahead to the grove of Ambrosia trees. They were younger than the surrounding jungle, which made them much shorter than the skyscraping giants that covered most of Viscan. They also were more colorful with their dark purplish leaves and light gray bark. The grove had been planted several decades ago for the sole purpose of collecting their sticky pink sap. By some weird quirk of evolution, the trees produced an excess of sap and oozed out of pores on the tree trunks. The Humans that had settled Xendiir's many tropical island chains used a system of pipes to collect the stuff and keep it closed off from the stinging insects that normally fed on it.

It was really weird seeing pipes connected to trees, but Zett was quite pleased with the stuff that the pipes were meant to collect. The locals used the pink sap to make candy, mix into drinks, or add to sauces and salad dressings. It was good and worth the effort it took to keep the pipe systems functioning and leak-free.

Just as Zett was reaching the point where the trail ended and the Ambrosia trees began, he heard a sound that made him freeze. It sounded like someone had screamed in pain from somewhere ahead, but he couldn't identify who had cried out. He knew that it wasn't either of the twins, and the scream was too young-sounding for it to be any of the adults, and it couldn't be Maré as she didn't scream like Humans did. Could it be one of the neighbor children, like the Wilks?

Stretching out his senses, Zett continued on into the trees much more cautiously. There was no telling what had made that sound or why. It could be a wild animal or a dangerous stranger. He frowned when he sensed…something…shrouded, afraid, and hungry. With a deep breath, he stepped around one of the trees at the fringe of the grove and saw a small huddled shape crouched near one of the collection pipes.

"Hey you!" he yelled boldly. "What are you doing?"

The mysterious shape jumped and spun around to reveal a filthy young boy that Zett had never seen before. He was light-skinned underneath all the dirt smudges, dead leaves, and scrapes, he had dark eyes, and he possessed startlingly blonde hair, almost white. Besides being dirty, his clothes were dingy-looking, torn, and getting to be too small for him as his bare wrists showed. The boy was younger than Zett, nine or ten years old at the most, and he looked scared out of his mind.

"Who are you?" Zett asked more quietly. "And what are you doing?"

"Kam," the boy croaked hoarsely. "Who are you?"

"Zett," he replied. "So…what are you doing?"

"Nothing," Kam answered quickly, guiltily.

Even without the Force's guidance, he could tell that the stranger was lying.

"Right," Zett frowned. "Where did you come from?"

"Nowhere," Kam lied again.

"You had to come from somewhere," Zett snorted. He studied the pipe that ran near Kam's feet. "Did you find a leak in the pipe?"

"Uh, yes," Kam squeaked anxiously.

Zett walked over to study the pipe. He noted the number painted on the pipeline so either Captain Typho or Master Anakin could find it and repair it. It would be bad if the leak went unfixed and attracted a nest of sting-beetles or bite-bees.

As he made a big show of inspecting the pipe, he wondered about the strange boy. This Kam looked like he was homeless, which was impossible—at least on Viscan and the Human population centers of Xendiir. There were plenty of poor people on nearby Verdant, but Xendiir was relatively exclusive and poverty-stricken drifters simply couldn't make it here. This scruffy little boy in ill-fitting clothes couldn't be a local, so where had he come from?

And there was something else that he'd noticed. The shrouded nature of his presence in the Force indicated that not only was he Force-sensitive, but he knew it and knew enough to try and hide himself. Since the boy was lacking any sort of Padawan braid he could only guess that he'd had his cut off completely, or he'd been apprenticed shortly after the Purge. But since Kam didn't seem to notice Zett's short Padawan braid, and since he was so wary and untrusting when he should've recognized a fellow Jedi, it made him wonder if something else wasn't going on.

"Did you just get here?" Zett asked neutrally, still staring at the sap build-up around the loose pipe connection.

"No," Kam lied.

_Yes, then._ Zett glanced at the sticky, pink residue on the tips of Kam's filthy fingers. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes," Kam whimpered miserably.

"Well it should be lunchtime at my house. Would you like to come over?" Zett invited.

"Yes!" Kam gasped. "That-that is if…if it's okay…"

"Sure it is. Come on, this way," Zett beckoned as he started to follow the collection pipes to the shed.

Kam tried to follow him, but promptly fell over. The boy tried to get up again, but it was in vain. It seemed that Kam was in worse shape than Zett had thought.

"Here," Zett sighed and crouched down in front of the younger, smaller boy. "Climb on my back and I'll carry you."

"Thanks," Kam whispered, embarrassed. "I think I ran too much."

"What were you running from?" Zett asked curiously.

"A nasty, slimy monster," Kam replied quietly. "It looked like a ball of snot."

Zett couldn't help but laugh a bit. "That was just a slime slug! It's just a mobile slime mold that eats dead leaves. The worst thing it would've done to you is get you all slimy."

Kam cringed in embarrassment as Zett picked up the boy's bag and staggered towards the shed and ultimately the castle. "Oh."

"I thought they were pretty scary-looking when I first saw one," Zett admitted.

"What is this place called?" Kam asked.

"This is the island of Viscan, on the planet of Xendiir, the third planet in the Verdant system," Zett replied as he soldiered on.

"Are there any dangerous animals here?"

"If there were any, the sport hunters probably killed them all years ago."

"Is it always so hot here?"

"Pretty much. It'll get cooler after it rains."

"When will it rain?"

"Soon, I think."

"How much further is it?"

"Not far."

"Do a lot of people live here?"

"'Here' as in the island or 'here' as in my house?"

"Both."

"Lots of people live in my houses. Not so many people live on the island. Most of the people around here are rich."

"Oh. What—wow!"

Zett grinned as they rounded the storage shack and Dannarak Castle came into view. The vine-draped walls and towers of gray stone finally choked off Kam's torrent of questions. Well, it made him pause for a few minutes.

"You live there?" Kam gasped in awe.

"Yes," Zett nodded as he headed for the nearest door.

"Are you a prince?"

Zett laughed a little bit. "No, I'm no prince."

"You're parents must be rich to live there."

"They're not my parents, and they're not terribly rich. Most of the neighbors are a lot richer."

"Wow. I really picked the wrong ship."

"Maybe you did," Zett grunted as he worked the door open with his elbow. "Maybe you didn't…"

* * *

Padmé had no idea how she managed to hold it together for the rest of the afternoon after Zett had dragged in a filthy ragamuffin of a boy that he'd found sucking on one of the Ambrosia tree sap pipes. The longer the day had worn on, the more angry and upset she became. But she held it together, if only to keep her babies ignorant that something was wrong.

It had started with the appearance of nine-year-old Kam Solusar in her house. Not only was the boy filthy, he was starving, scratched up, and entering into the early stages of dehydration. He was fearful of everything and incredibly reluctant to say anything about himself.

Before feeding him, Sabé had whisked him away to clean him off and tend to his numerous scrapes. When she brought him back, he was squeaky clean with a few sticky bandages on his cheek, forehead, and wrist, and wearing a set of Zett's oldest clothes—too big for him, but they fit much better than his own clothes had. Her expression had been grim as she settled him at the table and worked at feeding him.

Watching him eat, Padmé had wanted to strangle whoever was supposed to be responsible for the boy. What was a nine-year-old doing wandering the jungle all by himself in the condition that he was in? Where was he from? Where were his parents? Why was he alone now?

After he'd eaten his fill, Kam had distracted himself with playing with the twins, Maré, and Zett. Padmé, Sabé, Typho, and Anakin had all tried to carefully extract information from the boy, but he was very resistant to answering, or answering truthfully. Only after dinner had they managed to find out anything from him.

Kam finally admitted, after much careful probing, that he had run away from his father. He'd wanted to go home to his mother on a world named Nentan, but he'd picked the wrong ship and ended up on Xendiir. They'd tried to find out more about his family without much success until it was nearly time to bed him down for the night.

With much sniffling and almost-crying, Kam had explained why he didn't want to stay with his father anymore. His father, Ranik Solusar, dragged him all over the remote corners of the galaxy, never settling down for longer than a few months at a time, usually less. He described his father as a stern man, who never smile or laughed or hugged him or even seemed to like him very much. Kam had hurried to add that his father never, ever hit him or let him go hungry, but beyond that his father didn't appear to care very much for him. He hadn't wanted to leave his home and mother in the first place, and all he wanted was to go home to her.

It took him a while to get him calmed down enough to sleep. Padmé put him on a spare mattress on the floor of Zett's room as Kam seemed to have taken a real liking to the older boy—perhaps seeing him as the older brother he'd never had. Thankfully Zett didn't seem to mind the guest in his room and the two boys were soon fast asleep.

Padmé couldn't even think of sleeping. She, Sabé, and Typho couldn't help but be furious at all that they'd heard. At best, this Ranik Solusar was in over his head and down on his luck. At worst, he was an inept and negligent father, taking care of his son but treating him as little more than an unpleasant burden.

Anakin had been just as upset as the rest of them, but that was tempered by a thoughtful look that had settled over his features around dinner time. It had only intensified when he had carefully teased information about Kam's father out of the boy. Now he was outwardly calm and completely lost in thought as he sat at the end of her bed.

She had no idea how he could even pretend to be calm or thoughtful. Every time she tried to think about something else, her thoughts would get sucked back to Kam's sad predicament and she'd get furious at his father all over again. She could barely get a brush through her hair; her hands were shaking so badly with barely controlled fury.

"I don't know how you can sit there like that, Ani," she sighed.

He didn't answer her.

"Anakin?"

Nothing.

"Anakin Skywalker!"

"Huh?" he glanced up. "What?"

"I said: how can you sit there like that?"

He blinked. "Like what?"

"Like nothing's wrong," she sighed and put down her hairbrush.

"Oh, um… How should I be sitting, then?"

"You know what I'm talking about, Ani," she sighed and sat down beside him. "What have you been thinking about for the past few hours?"

He ran his mechanical hand through his curly hair and sighed. "Kam's situation is more complicated than he's told us."

She frowned. "How do you know that?"

"For one thing, Kam's Force-sensitive and he knows it. Not only that, but I'd bet good money that his father knows it too, and knows what the possible consequences of that fact are."

"Consequences?" she repeated blankly. "Ani, what do you mean?"

"As a Force-sensitive, he is a potential danger or a potential asset to Palpatine," he replied. "If found by Imperial forces, he'll either be killed or corrupted into one of Palpatine's Dark Side pawns. The only remotely rational reason I can think of for Kam's father to suddenly appear and take him away from his mother to lead a transient lifestyle far from the Empire is that his father knows of Kam's sensitivity and the dangers that go with it. He's clearly in over his head, but he's done what he's done to try and save Kam from death or a life of pain and Darkness."

"I suppose that makes sense," she murmured slowly.

"And I went even further," he continued. "It's unlikely that an ordinary man would have more than an inkling of the possible consequences of a Force-sensitive child. Kam also has some very basic skill with the Force, more than he could possibly discover on his own—I could feel him try to hide from me. And then there is his emotional distance from Kam. Taking all those things into account, it makes me think that this Ranik Solusar is either a wash-out from the Jedi training program or an actual Jedi."

She bit her lip. "You think so, Ani?"

"I do," he nodded. "It makes sense. Children placed in the care of the Order are taught the Jedi Code from their earliest days. They are taught that there is no emotion, there is no attachment. Wash-outs might still cling to those early teachings which would lead them to keep their distance from any family they might have. A Jedi Knight or Master would be even worse. If he wasn't thrown out for siring Kam, he would've been seriously reprimanded, and – as awful as it is – Kam, his bastard son, would be viewed, by himself and other Jedi, as a mark of shame."

"That's awful!" she gasped, absolutely horrified. "How could anyone see Kam as shameful? He's such a sweet boy." She stared down at her hands for a moment. "But…how could a Jedi have a child? Isn't that forbidden?"

"It is," he agreed. "Attachment is forbidden, marriage is forbidden, siring or bearing children is forbidden, but casual, meaningless sex with no strings attached…there's no rule against it. So long as it doesn't interfere with a Jedi's duties and so long as it is done on his or her own time, there's no rule against it. The Jedi have no vow of celibacy. It's encouraged, but not required."

He got up from the bed and walked over to the window to stare out at the pitch dark jungle. "Most Jedi never take advantage of that little loophole. But some do, either just once to see what it feels like, or more often because they really enjoy it and don't mind sticking to a string of one-night stands. I imagine that more Jedi have gone for the loophole during the war—with all that death and destruction they'd need something to remind them about the good part of life and forget the pain, and indulging in sex is a heck of a lot better than becoming a Spice addict or an alcoholic."

She followed him to the window and hugged his arm. "Did you ever think of doing that during the war?"

He glanced down at her. "Hm?"

"You know, look up a hooker or something," she shrugged.

"What?" he squeaked. "No, never! Besides I…I was too busy pining over you to even think of such a thing."

She blushed and patted his arm. "You're sweet. Come to bed, Ani, it's late."

"Okay, Angel," he grinned.

Padmé rolled her eyes at him and crawled into bed with Anakin right behind her.

Not long after their courthouse marriage Anakin developed the habit of ending up in her room at night more often then he was in his own. Just last week they'd just given in and he'd moved all his things into her room. Padmé had to admit that it was a nice development; Anakin could be quite cuddly when he wanted to.

Despite her anger at Kam's father, the busy day had taken its toll and she was ready to get some sleep. "'Night, Ani."

"'Night, Angel," he replied. "Hey, I was just thinking…"

"What?" she muttered into her pillow.

"I should take the _Angel's Feather_ on a short shakedown cruise, just to test it out."

"We'll talk about it tomorrow, Ani," she yawned.

"I wonder what the weather's like on Toprawa this time of year…" he mused.

"Ani, shut up and go to sleep."


End file.
